We are Family, We are Normandy
by LostintheStatic
Summary: The Andromeda Initiative was blindsided by the Reaper war and forced to hide for the duration. Emerging to a galaxy still intact was seen as a miracle. And an opportunity. Now, they will seek to recruit the man that made it possible for the dream to live on. Unfortunately for them, that man comes with an entire ship and crew, and he's not going anywhere without them.
1. Prologue: Back on my Feet

Commander Shepard is quite possibly the luckiest man alive.

Get launched into space after your ship was just sawn in half by Collectors? Sure, no problem. Engage a hoard of Brutes directly beneath a Reaper while it battles the mother of all thresher maws to the death? Okay, cool. Literally get shot by a Reaper-the thing that will turn a dreadnought into a ball of mangled nothingness simply by looking in its direction-and be able to tell death to screw off? The afterlife must have run out of room. Unless of course, the afterlife looked like a hospital room. The coffee certainly tasted was heavenly.

Maybe he was just immortal.

Shepard felt no need to pry into the matter; he felt positively good for once. Sitting up in bed, energy giving life juice in hand, and the Alliance News Network happily broadcasting nothing but optimistic stories was as good as it gets. Life was what could be described as "normal", which was many orders of magnitude better than teetering on the line between life and death. Once you get used to the comfy bed, warm food delivered direct to the room, and the doctors that insist on stopping by every three seconds to take vitals, it's really not that bad. A private cabin on a stealth warship it is not, but still…

How he found himself here, however, was an utterly puzzling question to this day. He suspected many others shared to the same thought. Shepard had seen his final moments right before his eyes. He yelled in that kids face, called him a liar in more ways than one, and finished a mission 3 years in the making. The Catalysts words rung hollow in his ears, there was only one way to end the cycle, and that way involved dead Reapers. He took aim at the explosive conduit and pulled the trigger, the glass cracked, he kept pulling the trigger, an explosion, then release. As flames consumed his body he had never felt more free, like the weight of the galaxy just evaporated from his body. He was spent, he carried the burden of trillions of lives on his back for too long. Death had been welcomed with open arms, it was a fitting end to one hell of a ride. Go out in a blaze of glory and take every single one of those Reapers with him.

Yet here he is, sitting in bed, sipping coffee, and listening to the news.

What on Earth did he do to deserve this? Perhaps it was a question of what in the galaxy.

Switching the screen off and switching to the datapad resting on the stand next to his bed didn't provide much diversity in news either. Nor did it offer an answer to the question. The September 2187 edition of Alliance News Monthly promptly displayed itself as Shepard picked it up.

" _Commander Shepard Alive?"_

" _Hero of the Galaxy Lives!"_

" _Miracles do Exist! Shepard is Proof!"_

Nothing but rumors.

Indeed, it had been a year since the end of the conflict with the Reapers. Admiral Hackett had given him the brief upon regaining consciousness a few months back. A stray marine had found his lifeless body encased within the rubble of a collapsed building in London; he looked like nothing more than a bag a flesh apparently. Armor burned to a crisp, skin displaying various shades of red and black, limp, but a pulse nonetheless. Not moments later a shuttle flew him away with orders consisting of "fly until you find a standing hospital." Given his current state, it was safe to say that mission was successful. After that, cue nine months of the most intensive human reconstruction effort short of Project Lazarus. Shepard was out for cold for at least four of those. The past three months have been rehabilitation and making sure nothing goes haywire at the last second. This added precaution was becoming increasingly redundant in Shepard's eyes, he felt fine as far as he was concerned. It's been mentioned more than once that his remarkable recovery speed is due to some of the "less organic" parts in him, thanks, Cerberus! Throw in some extensive bone weave, and tissue regeneration and he was practically good to go. Albeit with a few scars.

Finding the same repetitive news quickly became of no interest to Shepard, so he tossed the datapad aside and slid out of bed. With coffee in hand, he crossed the room to his window which conveniently allowed him to see out, but not others to see in. It's no secret that the Alliance has been trying to keep Shepard's situation a…secret. It would explain all the purely speculative reports, anybody with what looked remotely like a recording device hadn't been allowed past the front door of the facility. The only ones allowed to enter the room, aside from superior officers because of authority reasons, was the crew of the Normandy. The ship had docked not days after Shepard woke up and one by one they had come by to confirm the rumors or his survival. Their reactions ranged from "ecstatic" to "about to explode from emotional overload" understandably so. Except Javik, who seemed incapable of expressing anything happier than "neutral". Bless whatever gods they worshipped for the fact they all survived. Also Harbinger, for politely not vaporizing the Normandy as it whisked away Garrus and Liara…

That was it.

She was the reason.

' _Liara.'_ Shepard smiled and conjured the image of his bondmate. If there had been one reason to fight…

The initial reunion had been an emotional one. One where tears were not something to be ashamed of. It was sweet release, a million tons suddenly lifted from Shepard's shoulders. "I told you I'd come back." he had told her. The young asari's head on his shoulder and arms around him he got in response was all he needed to know. They laid in bed together for what was most likely hours in comfortable silence. Eventually, the combined effort of two warm bodied snuggled close to each other and the sun disappearing behind the horizon put the couple to sleep. That was the best sleep Shepard could remember getting in forever.

If he was allowed an extended stay in the mortal realm, she must be why. Love has this crazy way of spurring you on even when there is nothing left. It was the reason why Shepard's shattered body continued to draw breath, the reason the afterlife had rejected him yet again. Giving up simply wasn't an option, not with somebody else's heart on the line. And he made a promise dammit, it would be a cold day in hell before that promise broke. The doctors can keep their fancy medical explanations.

When Shepard could move under his own power, Garrus had attempted to sneak him out to go drinking. That attempt fell flat on its face before they even left the room. Turns out the guards outside the door were not a susceptible to bribery as he had thought. After that, word got around the entire staff of guards that Shepard may attempt to break out for a non-sanctioned field trip. Further visits by anybody were decidedly less private, crushing any hope of getting a bit "closer" with Liara. A real shame that, he was just starting to regain some strength and flexibility.

He took one last indulgent sip of the heavenly coffee (or was it just better than whatever Alliance procurement could come with?) and just like that, it had all disappeared into his body. With a sigh, he set the mug down on the ledge of the window and focused his gaze upon the scenery outside. The collection of buildings outside didn't have a name to him, neither did the hospital for that matter. What did have a name, however, was the giant mechanical squid corpse that was laying ass to the sky in the distance. Reaper.

It was inevitable when Hackett had visited. Unleashing a weapon as powerful as the Crucible would result in far more than unplugging the Reapers. That little shit had been right, and Hackett had confirmed it. Every single geth platform fell lifelessly to the ground upon firing the Crucible. Their ships aimlessly drifted in the space above Earth. Shouting questions to the to the void in the Normandy no longer resulted in that question being answered, EDI had been claimed as well. It was genocide. There was no way around it, they all died because he had deemed destruction the only solution to the war. Not to mention the broken families, how many dies because of him? It was easy to forget that some people would be just as fast to put a bullet in his head as some would be to ask for an autograph.

Being immortal isn't as great as it sounds.

Shepard winced at the thought and quickly shook the thought from his head. At least he could understand why they were keeping him under wraps.

' _Let's not relive that nightmare again,'_ he thought to himself.

Shepard's eyes quickly shifted downward to the city below where the progress made each day continued to impress. The outer suburbs had been completely leveled and the beginning of the city proper had its own scars. That was when he woke up for the first time. Now, what was once craters and debris was the site for shiny new housing developments. Typical human architecture, good ol' rectangle with a triangle on the top. The line between the new and old buildings was unusually well defined. Must have stopped the Reapers in the middle of their casual steamrolling or all organics dead in its tracks right there. A minute more of hesitation on the Crucible and this place would cease to exist, talk about timing. It was because of that timing that a majority of those who lived here could continue to see the next day. If this hospital had been located in any other city, the view outside would be much the same. Hope, rebuilding, resilience. That thought drew a smile across Shepard's face.

Satisfied with his newly found vigor and thoroughly warmed up by the sun shining through, it was time to move on with the day. Step one, get more of that coffee.

"Commander Shepard?"

Shepard broke from his window gazing session and turned to greet the voice. "Doctor? Is there something wrong?" The habit of always expecting the worst were showing plainly on his features.

The doctor shook his head which resulted in a noticeable look a relief from Shepard. "Nothing's wrong, in fact, it's quite the opposite. Your green across the board, ready to be released."

Shepard took on a curious tone. "Already? Thought I had a few more months."

The doctor stayed serious as ever. "The scans don't lie, commander, you're as good as you were before your near-death encounter. Maybe even better." The doctor peered down at the datapad he was holding. "Whoever installed the cybernetics in you spared no expense, truly remarkable engineering. Purely organic systems would have surely shut down after the trauma you endured." He tucked the pad under his arm and looked back to Shepard. "While full recovery occurred much faster than anticipated, it occurred nonetheless, so you're good to go."

Shepard just shrugged. "If you say so. Just show me where to sign and I'll be off."

"Actually, your paperwork is already taken care of; an Alliance shuttle will pick you up at the entrance when you're ready."

"Huh, guess I'll pack up my stuff and get ready to move out. Thanks, doc."

"Good day." With a polite nod, the doctor vanished from the room as fast as he came in. No doubt taking care of numerous patients all at once.

Mission objective changed. Coffee not a viable option. Return to Normandy. Also, change into a slightly more dignified outfit than this robe.

Specialist Traynor had been kind enough to deliver a portion his wardrobe during a visit. The case contained little more than a load of standard grey Alliance shirts, two black ones with an N7 stamped on, some jeans, undergarments, and socks with a pair of boots. Perfect.

Selecting one set of each article at random (not as if there was a huge variety or anything) Shepard made his way toward the spartan bathroom available to him and stripped off the meager hospital garment. He paused for a look in the mirror after slipping on the shirt and allowed a slight chuckle at what he saw.

"Like nothing ever happened," he muttered to himself.

With the rest of the outfit now on and a quick splash a water to the face, Shepard packed his things into the case and started out of the room.

His exit of the room was greeted with a hoard of doctors, nurses, soldiers carrying stretchers, and volunteers. Nobody seemed to pay him much mind as he made his way down the corridor. It wouldn't be a surprise if the novelty of having _the_ Commander Shepard in their care had worn off for the staff at this point. The rest were too busy to notice anything but the patient placed in their immediate care.

As he brushed past the hospital staff working at the usual feverish pace he a praised the brave soul that must have taken care of all the paperwork and allowed him to make a prompt exit. A bonus considering the unexpected early release. Now, all that stood between him and freedom was about 20 floors worth of elevator. And my god, what an elevator. It was nothing more than a drab white box with buttons, but this thing operated at FTL speeds compared to Normandy's.

"Ground floor," The disembodied elevator voice promptly informed Shepard.

He stepped out of the elevator and into the chaos of the lobby. No doubt casualties from all over where being shipped here, this place was packed. A waving hand raised above the crowd managed to catch Shepard's attention.

"Hey! Shepard! Over here!" A familiar voice called from the opposite end of the room.

Shepard moved in the direction of the hand until the owner was found. Normandy's resident shuttle pilot, Steve Cortez. Cortez jerked his head toward the entrance as an indicator to follow and the two men made for the front of the building. As the pair passed through the entrance and made toward the shuttle, a delicate breeze made itself known. The cool fresh air was a delight to breathe in. Clean as it might be, the decontaminated stuff that circulated through the hospital was never the most pleasant thing to breathe in. You know, that hospital smell.

That brought Shepard to the other thing that he didn't expect to miss, Cortez. The shuttle pilot had only shown up once for a very brief moment, then ran off like his pants were on fire.

"Cortez? This is a surprise." Shepard started. "I thought the Hackett had you tied down with running supplies to refugees,"

"Technically he still does, I just happened to be the closet transport around when you were cleared to leave," Cortez replied.

"So, I'm what? An exception?"

"It would seem so."

Shepard cast a sidelong glance at the shuttle pilot. "Getting supplies to those in need is a little more important than me getting back to my ship, don't you think? I could have walked."

Cortez put up his hands in a gesture of innocence. "Just following orders sir, the message came across from Admiral Hackett just a few hours ago, high priority."

Shepard simply rolled his eyes, deciding that shooting the messenger would lead nowhere. After a brief pause, he continued with a different topic. "Staying busy then?"

"Like you wouldn't believe. Turns out good shuttle pilots are in demand these days. Been that way since Normandy made it back to Earth." His voice dipped in volume. "Sorry I couldn't stop by more. I wanted to, just…"

Shepard cut in to reassure the shuttle pilot. "Don't sweat it, Cortez, you've been out here doing good work. Given the current circumstances, I think I can forgive you."

The conversation halted for a moment as both men climbed into the shuttle and occupied the pilot and co-pilot seats respectively.

Cortez seemed to lighten up a bit. "Thanks, Shepard. I've had a little more luck staying in contact with the rest of the crew. My supply runs bring me to the Normandy sometimes when I'm in the area. We've been trading off excess supplies and offering shelter to anyone who needs it." He proceeded to engage the shuttle's thrusters and plug coordinates into the interface.

"What has my crew been up to? They didn't tell me much when they visited," Shepard inquired.

"Well, since docking everybody has pitched in wherever they could. Tali and Traynor have been getting comms back to full strength. They got local connections back up and a few closer cities are patched in last I checked. Garrus has been coordinating with the turian ships that stayed back. Had to make a couple runs up to a cruiser with him to secure dextro rations."

Shepard raised a brow at that. "The turians left part of their fleet behind?"

"The asari too," Cortez added on. "Engineering teams mostly, a lot of them are trying to put the Citadel and relay back together.

"Makes sense. Everybody has a role to play," Shepard conceded.

"Exactly," Cortez chose this moment to activate the shuttles virtual windows, revealing swathes of buildings and people passing by in a blur. "There's something beautiful about this, you know, the way everybody is working together like this."

"Agreed," Shepard replied, staring outside like a kid on a road trip. The shuttle just passed over Reaper's line in the sand given the newer architecture sprinkled in with the old.

Cortez continued. "So yeah, James and Ashley have taken to building houses. Liara has been putting the revived comm channels to the test day and night coordinating everything. And…then there's me, flying this thing around."

"What about Javik?"

Cortez just shrugged.

"Well…let's just assume he's helping out like everyone else," Shepard said, putting away thoughts of a rogue prothean terrorizing innocent people with stories of his cycle.

"Works for me," Cortez agreed. "Feels good to be part of it myself, a real boost to morale for the whole crew too. Everyone needed it." Cortez's enthusiasm faded as he started to recall the bad memory. "When the Normandy recovered me from the shuttle crash it was…pretty bad. Leaving you behind was hard on everyone. No one spoke much to each other, just kinda walked around on autopilot. Dead silence except for screams and calls for help through the open comm channels." He shook his head in dismay. "That was all a year ago and it still haunts me to this day."

Shepard could sense the pain welling up in his friend. He hadn't been there to experience it but he knew what it must have been like. "Everyone did the right thing," he reassured. "The fact that you're all alive and the ship is in one piece proves that. Besides, that's the past now, nothing but blue skies and sunny days from here on out."

"Of course. You're right." Cortez took a deep breath and regained some of his lost cheer. "You should have seen the planet we got stranded on though! It reminded me of pictures I saw of Virmire. Warm, breathable air, and comfy gravity on top of that. Not a bad place to wait while Normandy was made spaceworthy again. Speaking of which." He pointed out the virtual window toward a curved, ship like shape in the distance.

As they rounded the corner, Shepard recognized the shape immediately.

"Good to see that the old girl made it."

"Science teams went through the ship's databases for anything on how the Crucible knocked her out of the sky and the technicians should have patched up any remaining damage by now. Can't imagine anyone would complain if you wanted to take it and fly away as soon as you board. The combat performance data should be self-evident enough."

"Same crazy stories from everyone on board I'd imagine?"

"That and a little addition to the paint job, courtesy of a request from Joker."

"Oh boy." Shepard suddenly found himself in trepidation of what his ship looked like.

Cortez snickered at that. "Don't worry Shepard, no flames down the side this time. You'll see when we get back."

"Regardless, it'll be good to be back."

There was more to Shepard's response than his voice let on. First and foremost was that feeling of finally going home. Shepard settle down into his seat and started walking down memory lane. Young Shepard was born in space and lived there for the large majority of those years. The Shepard family did own property with a nice little home back on Earth, but he never got to stay there for more than a week at most, always things to do and places to be in a career military family. Those things and places always took them into the vast reaches of the unknown. One year it's a dreadnaught patrolling the Traverse. Another year it's a research station orbiting a promising garden world. Never the same place for a long time.

There are certain benefits to an upbringing such as this. Shepard still recalls the sights outside the window of a traveling starship vividly. There was always a new view to look out the window to just as the current one got boring. Going to bed while gazing at purplish blue nebula gases and waking up to a red giant throwing beams of light through an asteroid field never got old. He also got to meet lots of different people from all races. Getting transferred to a ship or base with aliens was particularly fascinating. There was different culture, different food, being confused as to how an entire race can be made of girls, wondering if it hurt if you hugged the spikey ones. Basically, it was a young kid's fantasy world. Mom and dad fought the bad guys and he flew around the universe like some badass space explorer. When eighteen years hit, the career choice was almost too easy. And what do ya know? He flies around the universe like some badass space explorer and fights bad guys.

So yes, Commander Shepard is a 33-year-old kid. And that's okay.

The shuttle arrived at the spaceport and landed on a pad next to the Normandy's docking point, snapping Shepard out of his trip down memory lane.

"We're here. You go on Shepard, I've got a couple things left to do," Cortez mentioned as Shepard rose from his seat.

"Don't worry, we won't leave without you." Shepard joked as he made his way off the shuttle.

Shepard stepped down onto the pad and set his eyes upon one of the most beautiful ships he had ever seen. It had this graceful curve across the top of the hull, two swept back wings with two muscular engines each. The Alliance colors glistened against the sunlight and showed almost no signs of battle. Unless you count the four Reaper shaped outlines with a diagonal line going through them about a quarter way down the hull.

He just shook his head and smiled. "Nice," he commented to himself.

As Cortez's shuttle lifted off he was intercepted by an older man sporting one of those jumpsuits he sees the sciencey types wearing.

"Commander? I'm James Gardner, chief engineer for the Normandy repair team when it arrived on Earth. I've come to inform you of the condition of your ship."

Shepard exchanged a handshake and the two made for the Normandy's dock. "Okay James, what can you tell me?"

o-o

The engineer had peeled off to attend to another matter which left Shepard alone to finish the journey into the port. Inside, it was reasonably busy, packed with both people and cargo. Shepard was on the second-floor catwalk, which looked out over the common area. A few entrances to docks were visible from the vantage point. Out of one docking tubes came a turian rolling a large crate on a cart. Out of another came a few humans handling what must have been medical supplies, judging by the cross printed on the front. Out of all of them, streams and streams of people both leaving and arriving. Except one. At the end of the catwalk was an entrance with its doors closed, two guards, and 'authorized personnel only' promptly displayed on the sign above. Rightly so, there was a damn Alliance warship on the other end of that gangway. His Alliance warship.

The two guards saluted and opened the entrance to the gangway when Shepard approached. After returning the salute, he proceeded through the entrance, and a few seconds later, was standing in front of a very familiar airlock. He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, straightened his back, and strode purposely through the airlock…and straight into a person.

Luckily this person was no stranger.

"Hello, Commander."

After a brief startle, Shepard managed a response. "Well, look who it is."

The mere inches that were between them was reduced to zero as the two shared a kiss. It was only quick though as Liara pulled back before Shepard could indulge anymore.

She clearly noticed the disappointment on Shepard's face. "There will be time for that later, right now I believe you have other business to take care of," Liara said with just a hint of tease.

Do I? I think I might just retire right now. Steal the Normandy and fly off with you and everyone else out into the stars." Shepard took Liara's hands in his own as he often did. "It would be awful easy to get lost up there, wouldn't it?"

Liara smiled at the ground then looked back up. "While that does sound delightful, I would rather you didn't abandon your duty quite yet."

"Come on," he practically begged. "Jump out of the system and hit the stealth systems before they know what happened."

Liara intended on resisting Shepard's attempt at derailing her original intention. Her voice lost any sign of playfulness. "Shepard, please. This is serious."

He gave an impish grin as one final attempt to preclude business. This was met with a rather unhappy looking asari stepping back and crossing her arms. Fun time over. Perhaps to was foolish to think that he could just stroll into the Normandy and toss deference out the airlock. It was easy to forget that while he was getting warm meals delivered to his door, the rest of the crew were busting their asses helping rebuild an entire city. Or worrying if he was alive or not.

"Okay, okay. What's the situation?" Shepard replied, reflecting Liara's demeanor.

Liara relaxed a bit after earning a serious response. "Admiral Hackett contacted me and asked to speak to you when you came aboard. He said he wanted to speak with you in private."

"I'll take it up in my quarters."

Liara and Shepard turned toward the CIC and made for the lift. The space they walked through was almost dead silent. There were no marines milling about to break the silence, only the muffled hum of the Normandy's electronic systems.

"Did he say anything else?" he asked.

"No, he only said he wanted to talk to you," came the response.

"About what?"

"He didn't give me any details, but judging by his tone it sounded important."

"Don't tell me the Reapers are resurrecting themselves," Shepard said with mock terror.

"If that were the case, we wouldn't be having this conversation," Liara replied flatly.

This slightly disturbed Shepard. "Geez Liara, always so serious with you."

The two entered the lift and he hit the button corresponding with his quarters. When the door closed Shepard turned to see a distressed Liara looking down, massaging her temple.

She let out a tired sigh. "Sorry…it's just that between coordinating supply shuttles, volunteers, information agents and…" her voice trailed off.

It was obvious to Shepard were the majority of her stress and worry resided. He moved to stand in front with one hand under her chin and the other at her side. Then he nudged her gaze up to look right into those deep blue eyes and spoke softly but firmly. "I'm not going anywhere, Liara. This time for good. The next time the galaxy needs to be saved, someone else can do it. Okay?"

She worked her arms around him and pulled him in close. It was a gesture he could only return. Her voice came out as a whisper. "Don't ever leave me again…please."

"Never."

The lift came to a stop and opened up to Shepard's cabin and he reluctantly ended the comfortable embrace. Liara looked more relaxed now but still visibly drained. She would never admit to overworking herself. Running the biggest info network in the galaxy had a way of making her think she could tackle anything with enough late nights and stims. The least he could do was assuage the fear of losing him.

"Alright, go get some rest. When I'm done we can see about getting you away from work. We'll go do something, just the two of us," Shepard offered.

Liara perked up at the idea. "That sounds nice. I admit I have been very busy, perhaps I could use the distraction."

He turned around as he exited the lift and offered a sly grin. "Maybe I'll even find that adorable shy archaeologist under that tough Shadow Broker act."

The only reply he got was a smile with the smallest blush just as the doors closed.

' _And…back on the clock,'_ Shepard thought. Hackett probably wanted to put the Normandy and its commander on a pedestal to 'raise hope' or something along that line. While it would undoubtedly be in good nature, Shepard didn't take too kindly to the concept. _'If you want a victory parade, round up the entire galactic fleet and send them.'_ Shepard wasn't above recognizing that everybody had contributed to the victory over the Reapers. God forbid something else needed shooting. Shepard was pretty sure his guns had become ashes by this point.

Shepard banished the thought from his head, deciding that speculation was pointless. He walked over to his desk and was disheartened at the sight. Among the wreckage was the Normandy SR1 having lost three of its engines, the quarian liveship resembling a soup bowl, and the Destiny Ascension more or less snapped in half. Shepard needed a requisition order for glue. Lots of glue. _'Couldn't even bother to put these back together. Lazy ass engineers.'_

With a few swipes across his personal terminal, he dialed up Admiral Hackett's comm code and stood straight as an arrow at his desk. In an instant, the QEC displayer stoic admiral's face in place of the plastic fleet wreckage.

"Commander Shepard," he greeted.

Shepard put his hand up in a salute which was promptly returned by Hackett. "Admiral."

"At ease Commander. How have you been? I trust that they got you patched up and back to the Normandy without any trouble?"

"Yeah, good as new," Shepard replied. "Feels good to be back onboard the Normandy."

"Good. I thought you might appreciate a quick exit so I took care of all the paperwork when you were cleared to leave."

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate it."

"It's the least I could do after what you did for the whole galaxy." He paused for a moment and assumed the role of superior officer. "I know you just got back, but there's a matter I need to discuss with you concerning your immediate future."

A small chill shot down Shepard's back. "That why you needed to talk?"

"Yes, and I think it's substantial enough that you should hear it first before telling anyone else the details."

If Hackett wanted Shepard's attention, he had it now. Substantial events happening in the immediate future wasn't exactly what Shepard wanted to come back to. Though slightly worried at this point, Shepard listened on without showing an ounce of it.

Hackett continued. "Do you know about the Andromeda Initiative, Shepard?"

"I've heard about it. Something about colonizing another galaxy, right?" Shepard questioned.

"That's the gist of it," Hackett confirmed. "A representative of that Initiative, Alec Ryder, recently contacted me and offered an…interesting proposal."

Shepard was puzzled but also curious. "For you?"

"That's the thing, Shepard. It wasn't for me, it was for you."

Shepard took a few seconds to let that set in. His steely expression faltered as curiosity gained a dash of concern. "What does the Initiative want with me?"

"I'm not sure if there's a better way to put this, so I'll give it to you the same way I got it." A moment of dramatic pause. "They're offering you a seat on one of their arks, Shepard. They want you to go with them."

Surprise settled onto Shepard's featured. "Damn…that's a bold request."

"I didn't expect you to jump out of the galaxy that easily and I let Ryder know that. He wants to meet with you and discuss the finer details."

"They seriously think I'm going to do it?" Shepard stated incredulously. "Why can't they get someone else?"

"Shepard, what they're about to do is send a hundred thousand people to an unexplored galaxy that's millions of light years away. They're counting on people to believe in the cause to make it work and that takes a special kind of leader. Whether you like it or not, everybody sees you as the man who rallied an entire galaxy to fight an enemy who hadn't been stopped in millions of years and won. Frankly, I surprised they didn't try to bring you on earlier."

Surprise had quickly turned to disbelief for Shepard. "It'll take a lot more than asking nicely for me to abandon my crew."

"Look, I'm not going to give you an order to follow up on this. If you want to go over it with Ryder, that's up to you."

"I'll think about it," Shepard replied quickly, hoping for the conversation to end.

"It's your choice Commander," he reiterated. "Get in touch with me when you make your decision so I can relay it to Ryder. Hackett out."

And just like that, the Admiral's face flashed away.

"Well then," Shepard muttered to himself. The entire conversation was filed into the deepest reaches of his mind for later. Right now, there were matters considerably less world-shaking to attend to.

He paged Liara's room on the ship's comm. "Liara? I'm finished up here. I'll be down in a few minutes if you're ready.

"I'll be ready soon. Meet me down here."

It would probably help to talk it out with someone.

* * *

 **A/N: For those who read this far, many thanks! The is the first fic I've made public so reviews and advice are welcome and desired.**

 **Chapter 2 is about 99% done, so expect that soon. After that, updates may become more spaced out.**

 **Until then!**


	2. Proposition

Surely enough, saving the galaxy was a sure-fire way to garner attention. A public restaurant wouldn't do, heck, anything public wouldn't do. So how do you get away from everything with your significant other? The solution involves a spare shuttle, a speed run through the closest grocery shop and stripping a sheet off Shepard's bed. Call it an impromptu picnic if you will.

This is how Shepard and Liara found themselves a mile away from the Normandy, sitting in an open field. An impressive display of food was before them, and thanks to two powerful biotics on the edge of metaphorical starvation, it ceased to exist about 15 minutes later. Having thoroughly filled up on food they settled close to each other to watch the sun slowly set toward the horizon. The conversation drifted from topic to topic aimlessly while carefully avoiding topics of war and death. Those were painful reminders that didn't need to be brought to light. Instead, Liara told Shepard about the time that Garrus lost his visor and everybody pretended that he was an imposter for the entire day. And then there was the time that Tali broke her suit's audio output and attempted to communicate entirely with 'sign language'. Shepard didn't have much. There was the one time he accidentally flashed his doctor, but that's about it.

As they continued to watch the sunset in silence, an unwanted thought worked its way up to the front of his mind. _'Do you know about the Andromeda Initiative, Shepard?'_ The words echoed in his head. _'They want you to go with them.'_ The fact that a mission to leave the Milky Way was asking for him made an annoying amount of sense. Shepard could try and move the spotlight as much as he wanted, but it would always return. No doubt the Council and the Alliance paraded his name around while he was under the scalpel. The thing is, Hackett was right. They were about to send a bunch of people into the unknown. There was no way to establish concrete facts, so it came down to believing it would work. Who better to make people believe in something than the one and only Hero of the Galaxy, Commander Shepard? Being really good at killing things was a bonus.

"Hey, Liara? Have you heard of something called 'the Andromeda Initiative'?"

The young asari lifted her head from its resting spot on Shepard's shoulder and looked over. "Of course, Shepard, don't forget who you're speaking to," she responded, needing to remind him that she is, in fact, the most well-connected information broker in the galaxy.

Shepard let his head down and chuckled wryly. "Right, it's just…"

"Is something wrong? If you need to talk about it I'm here for you." Liara reassured.

Shepard then found the sky to be of intense interest. "That thing that Hackett wanted to talk about? It involved the Initiative."

"Does the Initiative bother you?" Liara asked in an attempt to pinpoint her bondmate's distress.

Shepard took to the process of unraveling the proposal given to him. It wasn't working. "No…or maybe…I don't know. Hackett said that someone from the Initiative wants to talk to me about a…really big thing. Alec Ryder was his name."

A short 'huh' from Liara drew his attention back to her. "Know him?"

"Yes, I've corresponded with Ryder before, even before we met. Back in 2182 he contacted me and inquired about my research methods on the protheans. He was anticipating running into a deceased alien civilization when they made it to the Andromeda galaxy. I never actually met him in person though."

"So, he's some sort of researcher?"

"The Andromeda Initiative planned to leave all the known galaxy behind. He was probably hoping to leave prepared for every possible scenario. That's what I'm led to believe at least, my work at the time had been refuted by almost every notable scholar on Thessia. The fact that he wanted it surprised me."

"And he wants me to leave the galaxy," Shepard muttered.

"Wants you to leave the galaxy?" Liara questioned in disbelief. "For what reason?"

Shepard shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know yet, but I think I may have to do with me saving the galaxy." His gaze fell again as he let out a dry chuckle. "The price of fame I guess."

"I wouldn't expect you to commit to something that extreme because he asked, and I find it hard to believe that Alec would expect that. Surely there is more to it."

"There probably is. Just have to go get it," Shepard stated bluntly.

"I can find everything I have on the Initiative when we get back to the Normandy if you want," Liara offered.

"While I have no doubt that you could find good info." He swung his gaze back up to the young asari. "I think I can do better," came the smug reply.

Liara looked slightly affronted but exhibited no malice. "Oh really? Need I remind you who you're talking to, Shepard?"

"Believe me, I haven't forgotten, it's just that I can get it straight from the source." He tapped where his omni-tool would be. "With one message, I can have Alec Ryder show up and spill everything he knows."

Liara got to the point. "But you don't want to."

Shepard looked out to the horizon. "No. Not really."

"Is there any harm in doing so?" Liara asked.

"I guess not," Shepard conceded.

"Must you act on what Alec asks of you?" she added.

"No. It's just that an opportunity like this doesn't show up often, and now of all times." He turned to face Liara again. "Is it wrong for me to even consider it after all that I've done?"

"Of course not. You've done so much for everyone. There should be no obligation placed on you that says you must stay for the sake of others. If you think that leaving the Milky Way is best for you, then nobody can stop you."

"I know. It's a lot to take in. Hackett didn't even bother to sugar coat it."

There was a point that Shepard had to recognize. Nobody is going to force him to go. If he doesn't like what he hears, they can all get lost, and he can spend his later years in retirement on Nevos (or what's left of it) without anybody batting an eyelash. The least he can do is hear Ryder out before shoving the offer back in his face.

"What about you? Think I should follow this up?" he asked earnestly.

Liara gave a light shake of the head. "I can't answer that for you, Shepard. Who am I to tell you what is important to yourself? Just know that whatever you decide, I'll stand by you."

Shepard took the bit of confidence he gained from that revelation and decided to tread into dangerous territory. If it came down to it he just had to know.

He looked Liara in the eyes and went for it. "Even if it meant going to Andromeda?"

"Of course," came the sure response. "At one point, I would have thought leaving the Milky Way was an absurd idea, but the prospect of being the first to discover new things in an entirely new galaxy is something most archaeologists can only dream of."

This was unexpected. Shepard felt the need to pry. "Really? What about the protheans? Studying them has been your lifelong passion."

"Shepard, you have given me everything I could possibly want. Without you I would not have met any of the crew Normandy, I would not have the largest info network at my disposal, and…Therum may have been the end. You even gave me the last living prothean in existence!"

"Anything for you, my dear," Shepard quipped. That earned a smile from Liara.

She looked off into the distance at the little dot that was the Normandy. "Plus, it's not like I have anything to leave behind. The Normandy crew is my family, and the ship is my home."

"You mean, it's _our_ home." Shepard corrected.

Liara tuned back, snuggled up closer, and put her head back down on his shoulder. "I love you, Shepard. If you go to another galaxy, I'm going with you."

Shepard moved an arm across her shoulders. "Thanks, Liara." Then he glanced around at the utter mess of scraps and crumbs. "We should probably clean this up and head back. It's getting dark."

o-o

The trip back was short and fairly uneventful. Shepard swung the Normandy's spare shuttle into the cargo bay and disembarked to the same desolate scene. There still wasn't anyone to be seen, but the day was drawing to a close, so they would be back soon enough. Or they were all hiding.

No such surprise made itself known as Shepard and Liara walked to the lift and began the ascent into the ship. There was a brief stop on the crew deck to let Liara off, then it was straight to the captain's quarters. She hadn't gotten off though, insisting that she would like to spend the night with him. Shepard was more than willingly accepted the company.

Now Shepard sat idly at his desk, staring into his omni-tool. At the end of the day, he was still an Alliance officer with duties to perform. There were loads of progress reports from the team that needed to be filed, statuses to confirm, inventory, the whole nine yards. Somehow, all of that was trivial compared to the message sitting on his omni-tool. The address was made out to Admiral Hackett. He hesitated to send it over and over, that message had the power to alter his life in a fast and hard way. But only if he let it.

"Can't it wait?" Liara called from his bed.

It was late and drowsiness had set in some time ago. This also wasn't the first time Liara had beckoned him toward the bed either. Every other time he just needed a few more minutes to finish 'important stuff'. All just an excuse really. There was no harm in it, just a couple words and some coordinates. Yet here he is, damn near falling asleep trying to push one message through.

"Almost done."

"Not this time, Shepard."

Liara stood and began to walk over. It was clear that any further resistance would be futile _. 'Ah, what the hell,'_ he thought. With a deft swipe, the message was off to its new owner. Shepard released a sigh of relief and let sleep have its way with him.

She was standing in front of him now, arms crossed. "I'm not letting you go back to overexerting yourself."

Shepard finally relented. "Alright, you win."

Liara gently guided Shepard to his bed. He rather unceremoniously flopped face down onto it when he was within range.

"I hate work," he muttered into the pillow.

"Yet you force yourself to do it constantly."

"Someone has to do it."

He heard a soft laugh from Liara and mumbled something incoherent in response. Not even a minute had passed and his eyes could barely stay open. All in all, it was a productive day. The crew was most likely itching to throw him a welcome back party, but unless they showed up and injected him full of stims, that wasn't happening. A t-shirt, jeans, and yes, even boots, were comfy enough to sleep in at this point. But before he could succumb to the sweet embrace of sleep, he suddenly felt the distinct warmth of a body getting cozy next to him.

"Sometimes, it can be worth it." Liara's seductive voice left nothing to the imagination.

Suddenly, he wasn't that tired.

o-o

Shepard woke up the next day in a better mood. He set no alarm (or forgot to), got to sleep in, and had no orders to follow. Are far as anyone was concerned, it was indefinite shore leave until someone said otherwise. That someone turned out to be himself on occasion. Nevertheless, it was freeing to have no expectations placed on him. It just felt nice to be able to pass on the full body armor after the morning shower routine. Now, it was time to hit the chow. No war assets to manage, no Reapers to kill, and no lives in danger. Just some delicious breakfast.

As he made his way to the lift, he showed no regard for the stacks of work he was determined to take care of last night. He let Liara stay where she was curled up in the spot on the bed he occupied a short time ago. If he was right, she needed the extra rest more than anyone else on the ship.

One agonizingly long trip later, it deposited him on the crew deck, and as expected, everyone was gathered in the mess to greet him when he rounded the corner. They were already sitting around the table or standing off to the side, depleting the food at an alarming rate.

As he walked in, the pleasing scent of bacon hit first. A glance at the table showed not only that, but pancakes, eggs, waffles, and assorted fruit. There was other stuff he couldn't recognize. Probably for certain members composed of different amino acids. You would think that being a vessel of the military, the Normandy operates on nothing but hard rations. In a middle of a war, this is necessary. When parked in a city for a few months? People go and buy decent food. No regs against that.

James got his attention first. "Hey, Commander! Get over here and try this stuff! You know you want it!"

"Looks good."

"Made by yours truly," James replied with no small amount of pride.

"I made the dextro food!" Garrus chimed in.

James pointed toward Garrus's plate. "Yeah, but Shepard can't eat that, so it doesn't count."

Shepard claimed the open seat at the end of the table and began assembling his feast. "Sorry Garrus, you'll have to consult Tali for an opinion on your cooking."

Tali looked up at the mention of her name. "What? Oh…uh, yeah…it's…it's fine," she said. The state of her plate said otherwise.

Garrus appeared mildly offended but just shrugged and continued shoveling food in his mouth. "More for me," he said through a mouth full of something.

Ashley piped up next. "We were totally going to throw you a party last night. Shame you decided to hit the sack before we got back." She jerked a thumb toward Joker. "Just ask this guy."

Joker took his cue to speak up. "Yeah, I got Ashley here to go with me and buy a mountain of food and drinks last night." he pointed at the cabinets which Shepard just noticed were being held closed with zip ties. "It was my idea by the way. The party. Just saying."

The Alliance soldier just rolled her eyes and continued. "When we got back, we couldn't find you or Liara. It was pretty easy to connect the dots though, so we decided not to bother you guys." Her mischievous grin suggested exactly what she thought they were doing. "So anytime you want to throw a wild party, just say the word, because we're stocked."

"Maybe some other time," Shepard suggested. "I've got something to take care of today."

Ashley drew a brow up. "Back on the clock already? I thought you'd just retire after everything was said and done."

"I'm not sure I'd call it work, it's just a meeting with someone. If it goes well, we can see about letting loose for a night."

She propped her head up with an elbow on the table and poked at her eggs with a fork in the other hand. A yawn confirmed her less than rested state. "I could use it. I've been neck deep in volunteer work since we landed."

"I'll second that!" Garrus called out.

"Thirded!" James yelled from the other end of the table.

"Count me in!" Tali said enthusiastically.

Clearly, everyone at the table shared such an opinion. Shepard was just glad that nobody decided to pry into his vague statement. They would know later if they had to.

Joker held a hand out to encompass the table. "See, now you have to throw a wild party."

"We'll see," Shepard asserted.

The pilot fired some pancake in his mouth and spoke again. "So, need me to fly you there in style? Make a big entrance?"

"Unless you want to fly the Normandy down the street, you're out of luck." Shepard joked.

"C'mon Joker, Shepard makes a big entrance wherever he goes simply by being there," Ashley added on.

"Fine. I guess I'll just 'not do my job' a little longer." Joker said, voice exuding sarcasm.

Shepard paused to take a bite and threw an inquisitive look toward the Normandy's pilot. "Who said I need to be here to throw a wild party anyway?"

"Uh, everyone? Because it's your ship, you saved the galaxy, and basically came back from the dead, again. You deserve a party more than anyone."

"I'm just one guy, Joker. You might not even remember I was there by the end."

A laugh from Ashley drew his attention back to her. "Commander Shepard, the guy who complains about his friends throwing a party for him."

Shepard gave in. He wasn't about to get into an argument about throwing a party in his name at breakfast. He could feel the rest of the crew readying their witty comments already.

"Okay, okay. I'll be there, but I declare when it's time."

Joker threw his utensil down and settled farther down into the chair. "Good enough for me, Commander." he seemed satisfied, but then he looked around the table. "Has anyone seen Liara?"

A tired looking Liara made herself known and everyone turned as she rounded the corner to the mess hall. She looked rather disgruntled when she spied the sparse remnants of food left over.

"It was Shepard's fault!" Garrus finally said.

"Hey!"

o-o

After finishing breakfast, Shepard left the crew to their own devices and made his way to the CIC. It was eerily silent, a stark difference from the liveliness of the mess hall. Other than that, it was the same old space that it had been. Not a smudge to be seen. Not a thing out of place.

The place he chose to meet with Ryder was a short distance from where the Normandy was docked, enough to walk. In light of that, he grabbed his N7 jacket to fend off the cool breeze and strode out of the Normandy's airlock at a good pace. The guards at the entrance stood resolutely where he originally found them and the spaceport was still just as busy as it had been. He managed to make his way through the common area with only a few stares in his direction. Either the cargo they were moving or thought to be lost family members demanded their immediate attention. The pace he was setting made it look like he had somewhere important to be so that probably helped too.

On the shuttle ride from the hospital to the Normandy, Shepard had spotted a nice little restaurant along the side of the road. Initially, it had looked like a nice spot to spend time with Liara. That plan was quickly squashed under the thought of having to sign an autograph every two seconds. Now? Now it was the perfect place to have a secret meeting. It was early enough that the place was completely empty, save for two or three others. Sure, they could have gone somewhere more 'official', but that would require knowledge of operational 'official' places. You know, ones that weren't stomped on by the Reapers.

He stood at the entrance and looked through the glass façade of the restaurant. Sure enough, there was one particular man sitting casually at a table in the corner, steaming coffee in one hand and a datapad in the other. The man was older looking. His hair was grey, so was his beard. The way he was dressed didn't paint him as anything more significant than the twenty or so other men he passed on the way there. Unless you knew the significance of the N7 on his shirt, that is.

The man noticed Shepard and waved him into the building. No backing out now.

Shepard walked in and moved to the table the man was seated at in the corner. The man put down his datapad down, stood, and offered his hand when he got close.

"Commander Shepard. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person."

Shepard reciprocated the gesture. "You must be Alec Ryder?"

"Most people just call me Ryder." He waved toward the seat opposite to his. "Please, take a seat. Can I get you something? Coffee maybe?

"I had plenty before I came here."

"I see. Well, we both know why we're here, so no point in wasting your time. Let's get down to business."

' _Thank god.'_ Shepard could appreciate the fact that Ryder insisted on skipping the pleasantries. Not that he had anywhere to be of course. Unease was just chipping away at him.

Being asked to leave the galaxy is no small matter, but he found confidence in the fact that he had been approached by Ryder. He had the higher negotiating position. A single 'no' and this whole thing can go away. Hell, he could probably make demands and get away with it. It wasn't in Shepard's nature to take advantage of his fame, but this might be an appropriate occasion if there ever was one.

Shepard let the rigidity evaporate from his posture and decided to strike at the heart of the matter. Deep down he hoped the proposal would be ridiculous enough to wave off immediately.

"So what exactly are you offering me?"

"A future." Ryder held a hand before Shepard could argue. "I know, too vague. What the Andromeda Initiative is offering you is a big opportunity, so I'll try to condense it for you. But first, I imagine you want to know what the Initiative is, and why we're here." When Shepard didn't reply, he continued. "As you know, the Initiative is a mission to colonize the Andromeda galaxy. The idea was founded in 2176 by Jien Garson. She put her expansive wealth into not only a means to get out there, but also a space station to call home. Citadel two point oh if you want." A pause as Alec sipped some coffee. "Construction and recruitment started simultaneously. For the next 7 years we poured virtually unlimited resources into the arks, recruitment, and the Nexus, our soon to be home. It was all going according to plan, but then you came along."

The seriousness returned to Shepard's demeanor just as fast as it had gone. He was willing to sit through a history lesson, but being accused wasn't about to go over his head.

"Me?" Shepard deadpanned.

Ryder nodded. "You and your claims of sentient machines coming to the Milky Way to wipe out organic life were laughable to most everyone. But not the Initiative."

"You believed in the Reapers? More importantly, how did you find out? The Council did their damnedest to hide that stuff."

"Well, you don't just threaten the galaxy with extinction and expect everyone to stay quiet, do you? People talk, and rumors were making the rounds. We didn't have evidence for or against them at the time, so we gave it the benefit of the doubt. Figured that if worse comes to worse and the Reapers do exist, we would be out of the galaxy before they showed up."

The fact that the one organization that could have backed up his Reaper claims planned on running away from the problem was not lost on Shepard. Not the best start to a potential partnership in his book.

"Could've used your help fighting them." His words were unapologetically accusatory. Ryder took them in stride and didn't flinch one bit

"I know, but you have to understand where we stood. We were too deep to back out. Four of the five first wave arks were finished and the Nexus was about ready to deploy. It was in our best interest to sprint to the finish while we could. So that's what we did."

Shepard leaned back and crossed his arms. "But you're still here."

"Yes, two years later your stunt with the Alpha relay convinced us that things were about to get serious—the evidence was there. The Initiative leaders decided to take inventory to see if we could make it with the current numbers. What they found was more than enough people, but not enough to sustain them all once we got to Andromeda. We needed more supplies to set up viable colonies when all the arks arrived there. The problem was that most of our suppliers started cutting us off. People started taking your Reaper threats seriously and were hoarding what we needed for their own good. We were effectively dead in the water."

"And somehow you managed to avoid the Reapers."

Ryder let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, by some miracle. We recognized that the chances of failure were just about guaranteed if we went for it, so it was time to face to music. Leadership let everyone know the situation, then put them into stasis. Some protested, but most accepted the idea. It wasn't hard to recognize the Initiative as a civilian exploration mission, not a military operation. We weren't geared up for a fight. The good news was that all the arks were finished as well as the pieces for the Nexus so we were able to jump everything through the relays to the edge of the galaxy closest to Sol. After that, it was a short trip into the edge of darkspace where the remaining crew members entered stasis. All we could do then was hope and pray."

Shepard came to get answers and was instead ending up with more questions. Frankly, at this point, he couldn't spare a single care for how the Initiative was here. The fact that a guy from it was sitting front of him right now was enough. It was time to push the conversation forward.

Shepard finished for him. "Now you're back to tie up loose ends."

"Exactly. Whatever you did to stop the Reapers lit the entire galaxy up red. Now, what you may not know is the arks are each interfaced with an advanced artificial intelligence. The event you caused was enough to grab its attention. Finding out the fate of the galaxy was paramount so it thawed key personnel, including me, and we came up with a plan for moving forward. Instead of putting the whole fleet at risk, one scout ship was sent with a team to confirm the status of the Milky Way. When I laid my eyes on the dozens of Reaper corpses floating in space I was nothing short of amazed. By putting comm buoys down along the way the good news was relayed instantly to the fleet, and they began the trip back. Didn't even have to resort to plan b."

Shepard allowed himself a slight laugh. "Safe to say that the Reapers through a wrench in your plans."

"Your preaching to the choir, Shepard. The Initiative was blindsided by the Reapers, but we got damn lucky, and have you to thank from what I hear."

It would seem that everyone left alive was going to pin victory on him. As trivial a matter as it may seem, it was something that bothered Shepard to no end. Yes, he brought people together, but he didn't fight the Reapers by himself. He just shouted the loudest.

On the bright side, it was blatantly obvious why Ryder wanted him to go to Andromeda. Still, Shepard let the displeasure show through.

"It wasn't just me. Millions of people fought and died for their homeworlds. All of them should be heroes for doing what they did."

Ryder's voice hardened and he pointed a finger at Shepard. "But you led them. They all looked up to you and followed you into certain death because you made them believe. The Initiative needs a leader like that now," he asserted.

"And now we get to the root of the matter…" Shepard sounded practically relieved.

"Look, I wasn't here to see how you won the war, but I've still got contacts within the Alliance and I like what they're telling me. I'm not asking you to lead an army against two-kilometer-tall death machines here. I'm asking you to do this because you're more qualified to lead the people of the Initiative to a successful future than anyone else."

"Because the ability to win a war is exactly what you need," Shepard replied sarcastically.

Ryder leaned in with his hands clamped on his legs. "Because being able to inspire is exactly what we need," he fired back. "Right now, most know you the guy who saved the Citadel from a geth armada, which is enough as it is. When people find out what you accomplished during the war, they'll believe anything is possible with you leading the way. It'll be a shot in the arm of what the everyone in the Initiative needs most: confidence that they made the right decision."

No matter how much he tried to dodge the fact, people would always consider him the tip of the spear in the war against the Reapers. They tell him that if it wasn't for him, the races would have fallen one by one. They tell him that he effectively had the entire galaxy under his command, waiting for his orders. And he did. He took every life into his own hands and fought for every individual that calls the Milky Way home, not just humanity. That was what drove him into every battlefield, every war-torn sector, every line of defense, every day. The thought of letting those people down was too much to bear.

Commander Shepard is a Sentinel. A guardian, guided by the need to stand in between others and danger. The need gave him a purpose in the world that was as rewarding as it was perilous. It was also as big a weakness as it was a strength. There are those in the world that would seek to take advantage of an individual such as Shepard. They wave people in front of his face like bait, enticing him to come to their aid. This certainly wasn't the first time he's come across this tactic. Shepard quickly burned away thoughts of Cerberus before they could manifest. Human supremacist group the Andromeda Initiative was not, but the act of coercion was much the same.

The worst part of having a weakness? Knowing you have it and not being able to do a thing about it. Cerberus took advantage of this and won because backing out doomed the galaxy. The Initiative will try to take advantage of this and will fail because they are the ones that need him. Shepard's newfound confidence had him wondering just how much he could impose on this proposal and get away with it. His guess was 'a lot.'

Shepard decided to entertain the thought of going to Andromeda some more instead of banishing it to the deepest depths. "Sounds like you already have leadership in place. Where would I even fit it?"

Ryder leaned back into his chair, feeling that his point was made. "We have a Pathfinder team for each ark filled with specialists to explore the golden worlds we know of. In short, you will be in control of all of them."

Shepard also curtailed his aggression, returning to a curious mindset. "Some sort of desk job?"

"If you want to play general and spend your time pushing symbols around on a screen, be my guest. I get the feeling you don't want that though. You would prefer to be the first one on a planet, scouting the terrain, placing an outpost, and ensuring the well-being of everyone who moves in."

Shepard was beginning to wonder just how much of him was public information. Apparently, he was wearing his psych profile on his sleeve at all times. Still, Ryder didn't need any confirmation.

"You never know. Caring for a large population is harder than it looks."

Ryder slid his datapad across the table to Shepard. "That's why the choice is yours. Remember, this mission can be a new start for everyone, that includes you. We have seven 'golden worlds' to choose from, basically the same idea as garden worlds here. They have perfect conditions for life, overflow with resources, and they're all within one system. If you want to settle down on one, then by all means, pick a plot of land and get building. I would recommend Habitat seven personally, it's probably going to be the new human homeworld once we get there. Scans indicate lush tropical jungle among other desirable features."

Shepard picked up the datapad and gave it a cursory scan. It was a small picture of what the planet looked like with statistics beneath it. Now Ryder looked like some sort of extragalactic real estate agent. He may be able to serve up enticing numbers and descriptions, but there was a difference between building a house and building a home. Property value be damned. Especially when your home happens to fly. Suddenly, Shepard had a clear idea of what it would take to drive him into Andromeda. Ryder probably wasn't going to enjoy it.

He put the datapad down returned a steely gaze to Ryder. "A home isn't much without a family."

"Nobody's gonna blame you for wanting to start a family in Andromeda. Upon boarding, everyone goes on blockers to freeze the reproductive cycle. When they do you're actually encouraged to…"

Shepard cut in before Ryder could finish and narrowed his gaze. "I already have a family, and if you think I'm going to leave them for one second…" The sudden show of authority was enough for Ryder to tense up. It was time to turn the tables and flex some of that war hero status.

Calmness quickly returned to the older N7. "Of course, I wouldn't expect you to. There should be an extra spot or two. Your mom is still, right? There should be space for your partner as well. If you have one that is."

A mischievous grin spread across Shepard's face and he slid down into a comfortable position with arms crossed. "How about a whole ship?"

Ryder composed countenance broke once again. "The Normandy? That's a tall order, Shepard."

Shepard dare let a hint of cockiness enter his voice. "If you want even the slightest chance of me saying yes, I suggest you find room for my crew. And my ship," he said confidently.

Shepard wasn't actually sure if Hackett would let him steal the Normandy away to another galaxy. He claimed it was his ship, and people accepted that, but _technically_ it was still part of the Alliance. It's not like he put a down payment on the thing when Cerberus made it. He sure as hell wasn't going anywhere without it though. Anywhere he could call home on Earth was turned to dust by the Reapers, so the ship became that. It felt perfectly natural for the spacer in him.

The Normandy contained all his possessions, and most importantly, damn near all the people he cares deepest for. That's what makes the Normandy a true home. Sure, he couldn't force them all to go with him, that wasn't the intention anyway. Those were the conditions he set. The thought of joining the Initiative wasn't even worth harboring unless both the ship and the crew could be there at his side for the whole ride. No force, no guilt trips, no deception, just unwavering dedication and loyalty.

"It's a package deal," Shepard continued. "My crew are professionals and the ship is state of the art. I'd say having both of those would be beneficial."

"I see your point. Not only having Commander Shepard but also having the iconic ship and crew would undoubtedly be beneficial, no doubt. The problem isn't with the quality of what you're offering, but the quantity. Fitting in an extra ship crew when we already have enough is one thing, but an entire ship itself? That's another."

"Then do what you have to do, otherwise I'd start looking for another war hero."

Ryder released a sigh of defeat and readjusted in his seat. Clearly, he hadn't been expecting such vigorous demands. "I'll try and pull some strings, but this is going to take time. Thankfully, the arks still have at least 4 months left in transit before they make it back into the system under standard FTL. When they arrive, it'll be a little longer to finish procuring and loading supplies. In other words, you have time to make up your mind and I have time to make the right things happen."

"Then that's the deal. I'll make sure my crew is willing and talk to Hackett about the Normandy. You make sure there's space for both."

Ryder didn't look satisfied with the proposal. "I appreciate your need to have your crew and even your ship willing to go, but you haven't even told me if you're willing yet. I need an answer," he asked impatiently.

"Right now? No. Whether my answer changes or not, that depends on how badly you need me."

Ryder came to the conclusion easily enough. "And if you can convince the Alliance to surrender a prototype ship…" he said under his breath.

"Exactly."

Ryder let his head down and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't like the odds you're giving me, Shepard. But I have no reason to not try." He took a breath and looked back up. "So yes, we have a deal."

Shepard, on the other hand, was conspicuously chipper. "Good. I expect that we'll be in contact soon?"

Ryder simply nodded and stood up to extend a handshake. Shepard reciprocated.

"Stay safe out there, Commander. The paparazzi might get you yet," Ryder joked as Shepard started toward the door.

Shepard just laughed and left Ryder to his devices. He left the little building with an air of confidence surrounding him. He knew that Ryder wanted him up there badly. That didn't matter though. As long as Shepard was able, he would be the one to stand between others and danger. If he was going to do this, it would be for the people, not for some stuck-up official taking advantage of the Shepard name. Someone needs to make sure the Initiative isn't going to send them all to their deaths.

Yet the thought of letting a hundred thousand strangers being potentially sent to their death was easier to bear than leaving a single member of the Normandy behind. The twisted nature of this thought didn't go unnoticed by Shepard. War had desensitized him to large swaths of people meeting their collective end. It was an appalling thing to think of, but the war was also the reason he became attached so tenaciously to the Normandy crew. Running scenarios of what might happen to them the moment he left the galaxy would be crippling. Nobody needed to see the great Commander Shepard express weakness in such a way. He needed to be seen as a god in the flesh, and the crew would be his source of power. That was the only way he could operate.

' _I'm only human, after all.'_

* * *

 **A/N: Real fast update this time. I had this chapter pretty much entirely written by the time chapter 1 went up and I figured I would put it out now. No use in keeping a perfectly good chapter just sitting around is there?** **Anyway, I hope the situation I portrayed the Initiative in is at least semi-believable.**

 **The next chapter is going to take longer to put out because of life and stuff. I'll try and put out a new chapter at least once per month. Anything longer seems like an unacceptable wait. Who knows, one could come out within a week, another could come out in two. Depends on how busy I get. If nothing else, just know that I don't plan on leaving this story dead in the water.**


	3. Gathering Strength

Eight entire months have passed since Shepard was in the presence of fellow N7 and Andromeda Initiative representative Alec Ryder. Eight months since Shepard had cut a deal. A deal that was at the mercy of a simple yes or no answer from each valued crew member of the SSV Normandy.

It was a time of camaraderie, friendship, and peace. Shepard still hadn't bothered to figure out where exactly he was, but it didn't matter so much anyway. There were construction workers that needed an extra set of hands, volunteers needed at the hospital and a call for anyone who had a remote idea of how to fly a shuttle to fly supplies across town. It was life as Shepard the human being, not Commander Shepard the immortal hero. Almost a trial run of civilian life. It was also a life that he could see himself getting used to when the time came. That time was not now, however.

He wasn't going to make an effort to convince the crew that joining up with the Initiative was a good idea. That would do nothing but bring lies or false hope. He vowed to be a straightforward as possible as to not elicit a skewed response. If not, regret was soon to follow. It was to be simply a question of 'If I go, will you be there by my side?' Plain and simple. Shepard tells himself this, yet it still doesn't make it any easier to break it to the crew. Each and every one of them had at least one logical reason to say 'no' and Shepard could respect that. If they played that card, that was that, he wasn't going to leave. End of story. The war with the Reapers already claimed too many that he considered friends. He couldn't do anything about that now, but he could do something about the ones that made it to the other side. Leaving them behind voluntarily was about as far down the list as putting a gun to their head.

Stomaching the thought of letting down the Initiative was never going to be easy though. They were counting on him to guarantee a bright future in the new galaxy. Staying behind would almost certainly result in endless 'what if' scenarios coursing through his mind. What if they run into hostiles? It's a civilian exploration mission, they'll be defenseless. What if they lose hope? They'll tear themselves apart from the inside out. Would their failure be blamed on him? Shepard would tear himself up from the inside out.

On the contrary, they might be entirely successful, but there's only one way to guarantee that.

It seems ridiculous to focus all protective energy on a mere hundred thousand people as opposed to the trillions that inhabit the Milky Way. Anyone would be right to assume that it is. The thing for Shepard is that he just fought a galactic war to make sure the Milky Way can have its fresh start free of the extinction cycle. He's done everything he can for them and serves as nothing more than a trophy for the Council and Alliance to show off now. Accepting Ryders offer would effectively be providing a fresh start for those about to go through a different type of war. A war against fear, doubt, and an unfamiliar galaxy. Hopefully, one that trades guns and tanks for microscopes and scanners.

He just needs one guarantee to push him over the fence. Or a few…

Shepard sat contemplatively at his desk, mulling over the memories of the last couple months in his head. Was it so senseless to think that every soul aboard his ship wouldn't follow straight to the depths of hell? Probably not. So why should a distant galaxy be any different? The way the crew interacted was a testament to what they all have been through. A bond forged from laughing in the face of death, making tremendous sacrifices, overcoming all odds, and still being able to crack a joke about the whole thing in the end. Some were there to defeat Saren, some went through the Omega 4 relay, and some helped defend the Milky Way. Some went through all. All followed him no matter the odds.

What kept unsettling Shepard was the difference between 'not being there' and 'not being there.' The first one was straightforward. Death. It was the easier of the two to tolerate. Saren, Omega 4, and the Reapers all had one thing in common: no expectation to come out the other end. There was a certain satisfaction this, knowing that you will go out giving it your all to make a difference. When fate finally caught up, that was it, nothing more to worry about, nothing more to care about, just sweet blissful nothingness. Then there was the other kind of 'not being there.' The kind that creeps up when you go into hiding, change identities or get mixed up in the wrong organization. Or buy a one-way ticket to a new galaxy. It's the one where you're still alive, but not at the same time. You yourself are still there, heart beating, lungs breathing, but everything you know and love will see you as an empty grave. It leaves you crippled by distress, consternation, and anxiety. You desperately want to know, want to help, but it simply won't and can't happen. Complete an utter disconnect.

Shepard could never force that on anyone, especially not himself. The battle to rationalize all outcomes continued to rage inside his mind still. He was completely torn, unable to commit one way of the other. One half of his body is grounding him to Earth while the other tries to exit at escape velocity.

He forced himself to stop before he went further down the rabbit hole. It was either stay here and try and find a place as a civilian and settle down. Maybe even get a much-deserved promotion. All in all, not a terrible way to spend the later years of his life. The other option is to shoot off into the stars with the whole Normandy in tow and become something even more. Make new discoveries, build a new foundation for life, and help a dream be realized. A decidedly more exciting way to spend the later years of his life.

Shepard finally broke from his reverie. He had been absentmindedly twirling around one of the mini Normandy SR1's engines around in his hand. Returning the plastic fleet back to full strength had been one of the more useful distractions until now. He stuck the engine ever so gently into its place on the end of the wing then sat further back to admire his own work. It had taken some long hours and a prodigious amount of glue, but all the mini ships had been brought back to their former glory. He smiled at the thought of spending a couple assault rifles worth of money on model ships during a war. Some of them were pointy enough or large enough to be used as weapons in a pinch.

The distractions couldn't last forever though. Only so long he can put it off.

He peered over at his terminal. The green light incessantly blinking to remind him that there is an unread correspondence.

 _Sender: A. Ryder._

 _Subject: We're waiting_

Many messages concerning the Andromeda Initiative have shown up in his inbox over time. One announcing the arrival of the arks within the system, a few updates on the timeline, some requests to help procure supplies, and then this one. There was no need to open it. He still had his end of a bargain to hold up. Still, part of him wanted to will the message out of existence and retire to a sunny beach. The other part told him he would go crazy within a week. One side argues to forget about the Andromeda colonists. The other calls him heartless for thinking of such a thing. Shepard shut both sides up by making a sudden movement toward his terminal.

In reality, it probably wasn't the best idea to connect directly to a superior officer without first going through an intermediary. Especially with no prior warnings. These would have been useful thoughts had they occurred before he sent the request through. Now, Shepard had to scramble to find the best way to word 'Hey, I want to steal your experimental warship away forever and never return it. Is that okay?'

Shepard was caught like a deer caught in the headlights when an alliance admiral suddenly took over his miniaturized fleet of ships.

"Commander, something you wanted to discuss?" The flat tone of the admiral was practically a relief. Of course, no outward show of displeasure didn't indicate a complete lack of it.

Shepard's professional conduct clicked on instantly. "Apologies, Admiral, but there's something I need to ask of you," he asked earnestly.

"While we will never be able to repay you for what you've done, you can only play the 'hero' card so many times. Sooner or later you might want to take a look at the number of bars on your uniform. This isn't wartime anymore, I and the dozen other people trying to contact me would appreciate a heads up next time."

Okay, so he didn't completely escape admonishment.

Shepard covered his embarrassment under a flippant reply. "You might not have that problem any longer, sir."

Hackett brought a hand under his chin in a thoughtful pose. "Well I'll be. I take it you fancy a retirement to another galaxy?"

"Something like that. I haven't committed yet and was hoping that you could help me out."

Hackett returned to a rigid parade rest. "What do you need?"

"The Normandy, sir." Pause for dramatic effect. "I want to take the Normandy to Andromeda."

"Of course you do," Hackett mumbled. "Can't say I'm surprised, it's something I've put some thought into after learning about the Andromeda Initiative's intent to recruit you. While it's obvious how important that ship and its crew are to you, there's one thing you have to keep in mind. That ship and almost and the entire operating crew still belong to the Alliance. That includes Lieutenant Commander Williams, Lieutenant Vega, Doctor Chakwas, and the engineers as well. Not to mention an entire marine detachment."

"You can have your marines, Admiral. I believe I'll need the rest to be successful in this mission." Shepard's words were sincere, a testament to the fact that he truly believed them.

"And I plan on letting you be successful." Surprise flashed across Shepard's face at the of this. Hackett didn't notice and continued speaking. "The Normandy's design has proven to be more than effective in an impressive array of extreme situations, so its officially exiting the prototype phase and entering mainstream production. Under normal circumstances, your Normandy would likely end up in a museum dedicated to interspecies cooperation upon completion of the first production model. However, you've proven that there is another option."

"The Normandy would make for an exceptional addition to the Initiative," Shepard voiced in agreement.

Hackett waved away Shepard's statement. "Don't bother, Commander. The Normandy is a warship, not a research vessel. No, the way I see it, there's no downside to letting you take it. It'd be a waste to retire a ship that is still as capable as yours. I'd sleep better at night knowing that you're still putting her to good use."

"Can I count that as a 'yes,' sir?" Shepard asked cautiously.

"To put it plainly, yes, no consequences will come should you decide to take the Normandy. I'm extending that to your Alliance crew members as well, but you'll have to gain their permission first. The press would have a field day if I forcibly discharged any of the Alliance's best soldiers."

"I'll do that immediately."

"Good. If your intent is to head to Andromeda, the least I can do is give you the best possible starting point. Just make sure I don't regret this." Hackett's voice indicated the wrath he would face if he did, in fact, make him regret it. "I'm already going to take a hit for letting the hero of the galaxy go."

"No, sir."

"That'll be all, Commander. Hackett out."

Shepard stood where he was for some time after the admiral cut the connection. A sense of shock had set in with the approval of his bid to take not only the Alliance's most advanced ship, but a few officers as well (not to mention one being a Spectre and the other a potential N7). Perhaps serendipity really did exist. Nevertheless, what Shepard thought of as the hardest part was out of the way. Now it comes down to no less than ten people and the myriad of circumstances they inhabit. Okay, maybe that was the hard part.

' _No time like the present.'_

Taking the confidence he gained from Hackett's approval, Shepard leaned over his personal terminal and hit the button to broadcast his voice all over the ship. "I need everyone to report to the War Room. Mandatory crew meeting in five minutes."

With laser-like focus, he summoned the lift and marched off in the direction of the War Room when it opened up on the correct deck. He so desperately wanted that stupid biometrics scanner would go just a little faster before any doubt managed to worm into his head. Eventually, he was cleared and he took his spot at one end of the central command console to wait for everyone else. They streamed in one or two at a time and grouped up at the opposite end of the console. As more and more eyes laid themselves upon him in anticipation, he grew increasingly uneasy and started to pace back and forth. Highly unusual for the seasoned commander. Almost a physical rendition of the indecisive battle raging in his own mind.

The sudden disturbance at the entrance was not unwelcome.

James was the last to walk in. He strode triumphantly holding a bottle in each hand above his head, clearing misreading the memo. "Don't worry guys! I got the..." he suddenly looked very awkward upon realizing the nature of the gathering. "Oh…we're not…damn, Garrus, you got my hopes up!"

'Mandatory crew meeting' apparently translated to 'Shepard is finally going to let loose.' Smiles and snickers quickly spread through the Normandy crew, including Shepard. Leave it to these guys to make light of a serious situation when it mattered.

The ground to Earth weakened a bit.

With the tension now thoroughly broken, he planted his hands on the console and looked up to address his family.

"So, who here knows about the Andromeda Initiative?"

o-o

The conversation was very one-sided. The crew listened in silence while Shepard presented everything he was told. Sometimes directly quoting Ryder himself. No beating around the bush, no deception. Also highlighted was the news from Hackett. Honorable discharges for Alliance personnel and none other than the Normandy itself to boot. He was careful with his words though, putting excessive emphasis on things like 'might,' 'could,' and 'if.'

When Shepard finished his oration, an uneasy silence settled on the room. Contrary to his prediction, the crowd did not express disbelief or dismiss the offer outright. Their gazes meandered around the room and weight shifted from one foot to the other. It was an air deep thought as Shepard's question boiled away in their minds.

Shepard's own mind went into overdrive on its own. What if the crew felt obligated to accept simply because it was him that asked? Maybe if Ryder had come to them individually, the answers would be completely different. While Shepard certainly felt privileged to have the loyalty of the Normandy's crew, he didn't want to stand as the reason they abandoned anything or anyone they cared about outside the walls of the ship. He began cursing his close relationship with everyone just as much as he praised it, but just as regret started to manifest, the tension broke with the sound of someone clearing their throat.

Garrus was the first to voice his answer.

"Why the hell not?" he told Shepard. "That wouldn't be the craziest thing you've asked me to do, and I'm pretty sure I lost my job when you send all the Reapers to their graves. Not sure I'd have a place in this galaxy now without the Normandy. So, assuming you really do go through with this, count me in."

When Shepard brought up family, it was much the same.

"Honestly, I'm not sure my father will ever see me in the same way after everything I've done. We never saw eye to eye in the first place. Now? Let's just say a reunion wouldn't be the most…pleasant experience." He looked away and shifted his weight to his other foot. "And my sister…well." He brought his gaze back up. "She's settling down with some hot shot officer that survived the war. I would just…complicate things. Just another reminder of the war."

One down, many to go.

Tali spoke up next.

"You're not going to believe this, but the other admirals know about the Initiative. They actually came to me and asked if I would represent the quarian colonists in Andromeda. I told them they were crazy at first. Now that you might go…I don't know." She started fidgeting around as she did while nervous. After a small pause, she formulated her answer and regained confidence. "You made me realize my importance as an admiral, Shepard. To be able to lead my people down a prosperous path would be the greatest thing I could hope for. Here, I'm not sure I would have enough influence to be heard over the other admirals. I'm too young and I didn't even earn the title in the first place. Going to Andromeda and representing my race as an admiral could be my chance to make a big difference. Knowing that you could be there with me, I can see that coming true. If you go, I think I might actually do it." The rise in her voice indicated a sudden revelation within herself. It was like she wasn't expecting the answer herself.

Not necessarily a hard yes, but pretty darn close. Shepard counted it as one at least.

The spotlight moved to Ashley.

"You know, Shepard? I may be a big bad Spectre and have places to go in the Alliance, but I'm not sure it's going to be for me anymore. I mean, look at what we did. Everyone in the whole galaxy are best buds with each other now. There's not much for a soldier like me to do, so what's the point in having all these resources with nothing to use them on, you know?" a smile etched itself across her face. "If I keep at this, I'll probably end up sitting behind a desk filling out requisition orders for the rest of my life. Probably go crazy within a year. If you're going to give me the chance to fly to another galaxy and keep kicking ass, I'm taking it. You've got my word." She crossed her arms and put her weight on her back foot to affirm the point. A final nod was given was a silent promise.

She knew what Shepard was going to ask before the words could leave his mouth. Her hand was up to interrupt him just as his mouth opened.

"Don't worry about my sisters, Shepard. They're all big girls now, they can take care of themselves. I'm as used to not seeing them at this point as they are to me. I know that sounds cold, but that's just life when you're born into a career military family I guess. Thing is, I can live knowing that they'll live out the rest of their lives without a hitch. Probably settle down with a man and raise a family, all that good stuff. I don't need to be there to hold their hands. Yeah, it'll probably suck not being there, but I'm alright with it. I'll make it."

That's three.

"James?" prompted Shepard.

He was leaning his side against the console and staring off into space. "I've been a soldier as long as I remember. Been the only thing I'm good at. I've been thinking though…maybe I can still change things up, you know? Give something else a try." He expressed chuckle that must have been forced. "I'd probably fail out of the first year of any school, but this Initiative thing? Hell, that's something I can get on board with. That stuff those scientists do still blows my mind, but at least it doesn't involve losing everything you care about."

James started nodding his head, seemingly agreeing with his internal voice. The dark cloud looming over him vanished as enthusiasm took hold.

"Yeah, get down in the dirt and map out some weird alien planet, or dig up some ancient piece of history. That's the type of stuff I can do." He drew a hand across the back of his neck. "It's just…being a soldier does nothing but remind of all the shit I've been through. I want to try something different and get away from that stuff. Going to another galaxy sounds nuts, but if it means a career change, I'll take it. Not like I'm leaving much behind either. N7 sure ain't happening when the villa isn't left standing." James and Shepard finally met eyes. "Tell you what, Loco. You want to take the Normandy to Andromeda without me, you're going to have to pry me off the deck first. Otherwise, sign me up."

Four.

Javik unwillingly made his way to the front.

"I'm surprised your still here, Javik," Shepard asked.

"Yes, Your Liara asari has…" he paused, considering a word that would do less harm to his dignity. "Given me a conceivable reason to remain here. She wishes to write a book with me and says that I should use my knowledge to benefit others. I told her I have nothing more to give. However, I have reflected on my time spent on this ship and how you spoke of your friends." His voice became grimmer and his eyes narrowed. "For my entire life I had no home to come back to, no friends I could count on to be there in the coming days. The Reapers burned everything in their path." The grim countenance was replaced with what Shepard dared think was positivity. "Now that the Reapers are no more, I have experienced what it is like to live in a world free of conflict. It is one of the few things I have been able to enjoy in my life. When I join my brothers in the afterlife, I wish to bring with me stories of a time and place where there are no Reapers so that they may experience the same feeling it brings me. If you would allow me the opportunity to do this by letting me accompany you on a trip to another galaxy, I would be in your debt."

Liara's delighted smile was impossible to miss. Her planned book probably just gained a couple hundred pages. Perhaps deep down, Javik also looked forward to writing a book.

Make it five.

Joker was next.

"Yeah, sorry, Commander. I'm not going to let you take my ship without me, so I guess you're stuck with me."

Shepard wasn't ready to believe that quickly and fixed on him with an inquisitive look. "That easy, huh?"

"Oh, come on, it's not like the Alliance is going to lament the loss of one pilot. I don't know about you, but I sure wouldn't trust any run of the mill pilot the Initiative may have picked up to fly this beauty. Doesn't matter how good of a ship it is, if you don't have the right guy behind the controls it may as well be a hunk of scrap metal with an engine strapped to it. Trust me, you're going to want this guy at Normandy's helm." He opened his mouth to continue gloating but nothing came out. Instead, he dragged a hand over his face and his initial light-hearted demeanor was replaced with a somber expression. "Look, that time you were being brought back by Cerberus? That sucked, a lot. Alliance didn't give a damn about what I did, so I spent two years flying around in shuttles or cargo freighters." He threw his hands out in disgust "Can you believe it? "Best pilot in the galaxy and they waste him on shuttles. I am not going back to that! So yes, Commander. You take the Normandy, you get me as a bonus."

This day keeps getting more interesting. That's six.

Judging by the look on his face, Cortez seemed to take mild offense from Jokers remark about flying shuttles being a waste. He just couldn't resist taking a jab at joker pride and joy.

"But the Normandy can only go so many places. Sometimes you need something smaller and more nimble to make it to the drop zone." Joker kept his riposte to an eye roll. Cortez laid off Normandy's pilot and turned to Shepard next. "It's been an honor to serve as your shuttle pilot, Commander. You gave me strength when I couldn't let go of the past and introduced me to some of the greatest people I know. It changed my life, really. My time on the Normandy is probably the reason I made it through the war, not just physically, but emotionally." He took a deep breath to steel himself against dark memory. "With my husband gone, I haven't got much left to look forward to anymore except being with these guys." He waved a hand to encompass the room and smiled brightly. "Honestly, I'm not sure how long I'd last without this group to keep me up, so I might be willing to jump through a few hoops to keep my place."

Shepard couldn't help but smile suspiciously at the shuttle pilot. "Heh, Just a few hoops. You sure, Cortez?"

"I'm there, Commander. One hundred percent " came the firm reply.

Shepard could see Earth fading in the distance now.

"Well, since it seems you don't plan on retiring just yet, I suppose I'll be coming along as well."

Doctor Chakwas' calm voice was unmistakable.

"You don't sound so sure, doctor," Shepard asked.

"Oh please, commander, don't act like this is a hard decision on my part. Do you know how long it would take to educate even the most experienced medical professional on the Normandy's crew? Months. The medical database of a multispecies crew like that on the Normandy is more complicated than it would be for an all human crew of a larger ship. You'll be glad to know that I can recall every little detail from it by heart. And besides, I get the feeling you don't have the time to sit around while I try to certify someone in multispecies medical practices."

"I appreciate the dedication, but we're talking about never coming back to Earth here. You sure you wouldn't rather stay?" Shepard pushed further.

The doctor's voice softened but remained firm, something honed over years of reassuring injured soldiers. "I understand your concern, but there's no need to worry. My place is here on the Normandy, not a lab, not even a private practice. If dealing with a different view out the window is what I have to put up with to keep my med bay and regular patients, I'm afraid you're going to need a very good reason to make me leave."

Engineer Adams took the spotlight next.

"You know, the crew isn't the only thing that needs a good doctor, Commander." Shepard held a blank stare of confusion. Adams took notice and continued. "I'm talking about the Normandy. Just because she's a ship doesn't mean she can't be under the weather like any of us. It would be my honor to make sure Normandy stays at one hundred percent as long as you're in the captain's chair."

Shepard still can't take any answer at face value. "The Normandy is your post, Adams. Don't answer out of obligation to your duty."

"Trust me, I'm not. While it's definitely a motivation, it's not the only reason I would like to stay aboard. Think of it as making up for not joining your fight against the Collectors."

Shepard wasn't about to accept self-pity as an answer either. "You've already done more than that. The last thing I want you to do is sacrifice your standing in the Alliance."

Adams held his hand outward in front of him to placate his commander. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, Commander, but I know where I stand." This time his voice was sure, intent on solidifying his point. "Leaving behind the Normandy was a mistake on my part, even if it did fly Cerberus colors at the time. It's a remarkable combination of technology and diversity that can't be found on any other Alliance vessel. Even without EDI, this ship feels like something special. I just wouldn't feel right if I did the same thing I did two years ago. Sure, working on a dreadnaught would bring a bigger paycheck, but that's no substitute for the enjoyment I get from here. As the old saying goes, if love what you do, you never have to work a day in your life."

"Glad to hear it. I'm sure Tali will appreciate the company." Shepard looked to Tali for acknowledgment.

"You have no idea how creepy it gets down there by yourself," she said, voice harboring memories of jumping at the slightest noise.

Adams had a laugh at that, indirectly confirming Tali's assertion. "I'll talk to Donnelly and Daniels afterward and see what they think. I have a feeling that they'll want to come as well."

The counter in Shepard's mind has since stopped. Everything was just bonus points for him at this point.

After hiding in the back the entire time, Specialist Traynor stepped through the crowd.

"Okay, so…" A moment's hesitation. "I know I'm technically still a lab technician and I should probably go back there…I don't think I want to do that. Well, assuming there are any left standing, there's probably going to be loads of that Reaper scrap getting thrown at us. I suppose now that they're all dead we need to find out all their secrets. It's all interesting stuff, really, but not so much when standing by it is liable to make you go crazy. I remember hearing about your story of a dead one driving the scientists studying it out of their minds. Can you forgive me for not wanting that?"

"Nobody's forcing you off the ship, Traynor, but this seems like taking 'running away from your problems' a little far."

"Oh, I'm well aware that I could find another job. The thing about those is, I don't get to walk among living legends all day. I also wouldn't have the satisfaction of managing the communications of those legends to keep them informed at all times. On top of that, I have top of the line quantum entanglement communication _and_ the world's largest info network at my disposal." She snuck a glance at Liara who's proud expression couldn't be missed. "It's a dream for someone like me. If this is what I get to live with on a ship, I'll happily forgo a more traditional setup."

"Willing to leave everything else you know to keep that dream?"

"Absolutely. I'd like to keep challenging myself without being brainwashed in the process." Her face suddenly lit up with glee. "Think of all the things that need to be done when setting up a colony! Calibrating receivers, tuning output signals, integrating a coherent GUI. I'm getting excited just thinking about it!"

Finally, there was Liara who faced Shepard with a knowing look.

"You already know my answer, Shepard." That was all she needed to say.

Any doubts about joining the Initiative were clinging on desperately before this point. The last remnants of their pathetic grip were crushed under the strength of numbers. That number now stood at eleven.

This uniform backing of Shepard was a pattern that had repeated itself more than a few times. Despite how expected it may seem, the feeling it induced was always invigorating. Confidence goes through the roof and the impossible becomes possible. It can also make decisiveness arise out of the most uncertain individual. The relief of having the turmoil is his mind finally come to an end after months upon months of back and forth was unspeakably liberating. So much that for the first time, Shepard moved an inch which quickly confirmed that most of his limbs had in fact gone stiff. Not the most professional thing, tripping over yourself in front of everyone.

o-o

Not long after the crew meeting, Shepard retreated back to his cabin and finally opened the message from earlier. Attached was a comm code, presumably one that connected directly to Ryder. This suspicion was confirmed when a rough voice emanated from his omni-tool.

"Commander, nice to see I wasn't being ignored. What's the news?"

"I heard there's an out of galaxy expedition that's hiring. Know about them?"

"I just so happen to be in need of an accomplished military commander with a ship. I've got plenty of seats open and an empty dock, the question is, can you fill them?"

The call was audio only, but Shepard could imagine Ryder's expectant visage on the other end. It hadn't taken long for the two men to get down to business. Shepard needed space, Ryder needed Shepard. With Ryder making true on his word it was up to Shepard to seal the deal.

Ryder was certainly crossing his fingers like the apocalypse was just on the horizon. All his higher-ups were probably listening in on the conversation too, although they didn't seem keen on making their presence known if they were. The answer they were about to get would spread like wildfire the moment the first syllable was pronounced. Shepard felt like he had the fate of the Initiative in his hands. Almost as if the hopes and dreams of every colonist could be made or crushed with the next sentence he uttered. His role would be pivotal in securing a foothold in Andromeda and he found gratification in knowing he would be there to fulfill that role. The small army at his back was a nice bonus.

' _If the crew goes, I go.'_ Was Shepard's parting thought after meeting Ryder for the first time.

Just like every crazy, out of this world, and monumental mission that had come before, there they were, ready to charge headlong into the unknown with him. Admittedly, he was skeptical at first. There was no reason to believe that they would all be willing to leave the Milky Way behind for an unfamiliar world. The evidence of habitable environments put up by the Initiative could be seen as nothing more than cursory scans and optimistic predictions. Back that up with enough science terms and suddenly it seems believable. Make enough promises, now the imagination runs wild. Motivation to join would feed off emotions more than it did logic.

The Normandy crew was different though. Perhaps the reasoning to stand behind their commander stemmed from the fact that they wouldn't be leaving familiarity behind at all. The walls of the ship would still be the same no matter what galaxy it was in. If things went south, there would always be a familiar hand to reach out and get you back in the game. It's all about having that solid foundation to start on. It is from that solid foundation that each and every one of them would build their new future.

Regardless, there they were, by his side.

"You'll have them, Ryder. Ship and all."

There was a pause as Ryder let what he just heard sink in. "I'm not even going to ask how you did it, you just made a whole lot of people happy, Shepard. I'm sending coordinates for ark Hyperion. We'll meet there to go over last-minute details before setting off." Another pause in the audio. "You're sure you still want this, Commander? Last chance to back out."

Shepard's voice exuded confidence. "I have my ship and I have my crew. There isn't a doubt left in my mind."

Ryder proceeded to review all the details that had been discussed during their first time face to face. The premise was still the same. Shepard spearheads the exploration of all known habitable planets, potential to start a new life, get stuff named after him, all that good stuff. However, a new detail managed to slip into the arrangement, one that Shepard could not ignore.

"Here's the deal, some of your crew members will have to be separated and placed on different arks," Ryder told him. "Each ark is tailored to work with the different physiology of each species. There's different pre stasis injections, life support, and post stasis practices among other things. It's in everyone's best interest for the Normandy's crew be matched with the correct ark."

Shepard wasn't particularly enthused with the idea, but there was no use arguing against biology. He begrudgingly accepted the last-minute addendum. "Do what you have to. I need to be sure everyone will make it to the other side."

Ryder caught the reservation in Shepard's voice. "I know you don't like it, but we have to play it safe for now. With something this big, nothing can be left to chance."

"Just make sure they stay safe," Shepard quickly added.

"Let us handle the trip to Andromeda, Shepard," Ryder replied smoothly. "You only need to worry about what happens when we get there."

If that statement was intended to ease Shepard's nerves, it failed miserably. No amount of experience could dampen the gravity of the decision he just made. If anything, the trip to Andromeda was going to be the easy part. Just take a nice long nap while the ships pilot themselves to the destination. Securing an entire planet for colonization? Well, nobody said it was going to be busy, but that's okay. Easy is boring.

The feeling permeating Shepard's body inhabited the grey area between exciting and terrifying, but his mouth never betrayed his mind. He would not be swept away in the current of the moment, there was no doubt in where he stood. He would see to it that every single one of the brave souls that risked everything to start anew would not regret it.

"Right, so, Ark Hyperion?"

"That's it. There's an open bay ready to accept the Normandy when it gets here. Once docked, we'll give everyone the brief, tie everything down for transit, then it's off to sleep for the next six hundred years." They way Ryder nonchalantly mentioned six hundred years was slightly off-putting to think about. It would be the same as a few hours snapping by while sleeping, except with six centuries. Still weird to think about.

"We'll be there," he confirmed.

"Alright, departure is scheduled a week out. The question and answer session closes the day before, so I'd start saying any goodbyes now if you want to know anymore. Welcome to the Andromeda Initiative, Shepard."

Alec Ryder signed off and left Shepard with the weight of the situation on his shoulders. Few things made him Shepard question his motives like this was. A few days into boot camp Private Shepard thought _'Why am I putting myself through this hell?'_ After a single day of N1 training, Lieutenant Shepard thought _'Why am I still putting myself through this hell?'_ After staring up at a Reaper on Earth for a single second, Commander Shepard thought _'I don't want to go through this hell, but I'm going to anyway.'_

Now, Hero of the Galaxy Shepard is thinking. _'This might be leading me to hell, if so, bring it on.'_

* * *

 **A/N: Yes, an entire chapter dedicated to the crew saying "yes." Why? because saying the whole crew said "yes" is too easy. The least I can do is give them a reason to stay by Shepard.**

 **At first, I planned to end this chapter on docking with the ark and having next chapter be the arrival in Andromeda. When I looked at my word count and how much stuff I still wanted to cover that plan went out the window. Given this, there will be one more chapter bumming around the Milky Way before we get into the meat of the story. Also, I'm about to get crusher my midterms so yay! I won't have a lot of time to spend on this story of the time being! All I can do is ask for patience from you guys and gals out there.**

 **Finally, thanks to all who have invested time into reading this so far. Your support is one heck of a motivator!**


	4. Welcome to the Initiative

This is it. Bags packed. Goodbyes said. Bathroom breaks taken care of.

Time to catch the intergalactic bus.

The Normandy freed itself from Earth's embrace and pointed itself toward the coordinates given for the human ark, Hyperion. The Andromeda Initiative's fleet had parked itself in orbit on the other side of the planet, so a short trip was in order to get there. Most of the crew chose to take advantage of the lounge on the crew deck during this time. To Shepard's delight, the poker table was finally getting some use and the absurd amount of food that had been brought aboard during Shepard's hospital stay wasn't going to waste. Alcohol was forbidden though, much to the disappointment of a few. Stumbling blind drunk into your new employer's fancy gazillion credit intergalactic space taxi isn't exactly the best first impression.

Shepard himself opted to stay in the cockpit and watch Earth pass by under them as they made their way around. The escape from Earth's atmosphere was an interesting one. When the blue sky switched to the black expanse of space, the enormous presence of the Citadel was not expected. What was once the pride and joy of the galactic community now represented an echo of its former self. Violet nebula gases no longer turned the station into a shining beacon. Gone was the gleaning metal surface and oppressive amount of light created by its inhabitants. Replacing those were scorch marks, fractures, and eerie patches of darkness. It was a disheartening sight for the commander.

Given what Admiral Hackett had told him, Shepard knew that it was much worse at one point. Now, the least damaged of the arms was repaired and beginning to show some life. Ships from all council species surrounded the station. Some were tasked with shepherding stray pieces of the station back into place, others went off the scrounge up raw materials to fill in unrecoverable sections. Still, even with the vast number of people pitching in, it would still be quite some time before the Citadel returned to its former glory. Nevertheless, it would get there and Shepard found solace in that thought.

When the heart of the galaxy was no longer viewable from Normandy's forward observation ports, Shepard decided to engage in meaningless chatter with his only company, Joker. Something about a rumor.

"So what's this about me being the worst commander in history?"

The pilot swiveled around in his chair to face his commander. "Oh, that?" A look of guilt crossed his face. "Yeah, I may have started an inside joke about you while you were getting stitched up. I was just telling everybody about how you _technically_ blew us up."

Shepard smiled as he admitted that Joker was right. In a way. "Um…sorry?"

"No hard feelings, Commander. You _did_ manage to save the galaxy in the process."

"Hold on, don't you mean the Crucible blew you up?" Shepard challenged.

"Yes, and you activated it, so you blew us up," Joker fired back.

"Cortez told me about what happened." He crossed his arms defensively. "I didn't even blow you up, I just made you crash land on another planet. If I remember correctly, it was a tropical paradise."

"So you do admit to it!" Joker's victory was diminished as he caught sight of Shepard's disapproving glare. "Alright, alright, it was a pretty nice place to crash. Great weather, didn't die when I took a breath, atmosphere didn't crush my bones." Suddenly it was like a light bulb illuminated above Jokers head. "Did your Initiative buddies say anything about planets with warm weather year-round by any chance? Cause if they did, I want dibs on the beachfront property."

Shepard couldn't help but chuckle at the common cliché of retirement plans. "Hell, Joker. They can barely predict the local weather accurately. I doubt it would be much better for a planet that's millions of light years away."

"Sure, but those egg heads have some crazy equation to determine this kind of stuff, right?" Joker asked hopefully.

Shepard just shrugged. "Still a six-hundred-year trip. Might be a little outdated by the time we get there."

"Alright, so we need boots on the ground first. That means you'll be our weatherman!" Joker announced with no shortage of excitement.

"Among many other things, I guess so," Shepard agreed.

Joker swiveled back around to start working the Normandy's controls. "You have fun with that, Commander. I'll stick to being a pilot if you don't mind."

"No argument there." After a second of pause, he added, "I would like to talk about an addition you made to my ship though." Despite fixating on the passing stars, Shepard could imagine the sweat begin to form on Jokers forehead.

"Oh, right, those." He hesitated, knowing full well that the decision to paint Reapers on the side of the hull had not gone through the commanding officer. "I thought you would like them…you know…it shows how badass you are," he said unconvincingly. "James thought so too." He tacked the last part on in hopes of taking some of the impending heat off.

Shepard could forgive him, but he wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily. "I'll give you Sovereign, but the other three…"

Joker quickly cut in to justify his position. "There was the one on Rannoch, another on Tuchanka, and another one on Earth. Remember? So that's four, or did Harbinger knock you over the head that hard?"

Shepard let the insult to his basic math skills slide. "Hold on there, Joker, the Normandy didn't even touch the other three. If you want to paint congratulations down the side of something, I suggest you start by finding the mother of all thresher maws an asking her nicely."

"Uh, no, I'll pass." The silence from Shepard pressured him to continue. "Come on, Commander. The least you can do is gloat a little bit." The pilot was practically pleading at this point.

With a sigh, Shepard decided to give him his victory. "Fine, but two conditions for next time: you pulled the trigger and I witnessed it explode."

A devious smile crept it's way across Jokers face. "Roger that. That means I get to paint pretty pictures up and down the hull."

"The Normandy is not a coloring book!"

Joker's hands went up immediately in defense. "Okay, fine, I'll put it through you first. Let you choose the color and everything."

Now at least partially mollified, Shepard stepped down into the vacant co-pilots seat. While the Normandy's co-pilot had been a disembodied voice in her true form, the physical body she inhabited was a critical humanizing factor that integrated her with the organic crew. As Shepard settled into the seat for the rest of the journey, a familiar sense of guilt for its previous occupant returned. He had been there to help Joker and EDI fully actualize their relationship. And what an endearing relationship it had been. A man quite literally in love with the ship that he piloted. Not only that, but it was also a concrete example of synthetic and organic life living in harmony.

And Shepard ended it.

The avoidance of the topic could mean anything from acceptance to bottled up emotions. At this point though, he figured that the raw feelings should have passed out of the man that sat next to him by now. The memory of EDI could be acting as a positive force in Joker's life. At the same time, it could be a vice. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to pry a tiny amount to make sure he isn't harboring any resentment. It would most likely be better for the long run.

With the line of conversation carefully plotted out in his mind, Shepard took a deep breath and prepared to face any consequences…

"You are occupying my seat, Shepard." An artificial voice said from behind him.

…just as everything immediately went off the rails.

Shepard's went wide with surprise and he even jumped a little as he looked up at a familiar mechanized platform standing right behind him. "EDI? But I thought-"

Joker clapped his hands together then threw them in the air as he laughed. "Yes! I knew it would work!"

Shepard shed his bewilderment and shot an irritated glance at Joker. "Is someone going to fill me in?"

EDI took over as Joker seemed intent on laughing at Shepard's reaction. "Jeff suggested that I should remain out visual range until an opportune moment presented itself. He said that it would be more beneficial if you discovered my presence on your own, rather than telling you directly." He also said that it would be humorous to watch your reaction." She was verbally shaming Joker with that last part. Shepard knew it was just an attempt to dodge his fury, a habit that clearly rubbed off on the AI.

Shepard ran a hand down his face, now irritated by the prospect that his embarrassing reaction had been recorded _and_ the wrong answer. "And the fact that you're standing here right now?"

EDI moved to occupy Shepard's usual spot between the pilot and co-pilots positions. "Oh, I was never truly non-functional," she said, feigning ignorance of Shepard's question. "The Crucible overloaded many of my systems but did not cause any permanent damage. Given time, I was able to regain awareness and replace any corrupted cognitive processes with ones stored in my backup files. Your closest organic equivalent would be falling unconscious."

"So you what? Resurrected yourself?"

"Not precisely. While I was able to regain awareness on my own, this physical platform required more extensive repairs to become fully mobile. Tali and Engineer Adams played a critical role in returning it to its current state. I predict that with similar circumstances, other synthetic lifeforms may also manage a full recovery."

"You don't think the Reapers…" Shepard suddenly wished he hadn't joked about the Reapers coming back to life.

"That is highly unlikely. Evidence shows that the energy released by the Crucible was lethal to Reaper tech and nothing else. The effect it has on synthetic lifeforms that avoided Reaper influence resembles a very powerful electromagnetic pulse. They would be taken offline for some time, but not permanently disabled."

A shiver went down Shepard's spine as he considered that the evidence may have consisted of an actual attempt to reactivate a Reaper. Sometimes he damned the curiosity of the scientific world. By all means, seek information, but for the love of all things holy, don't try to interrogate a machine capable of wiping out the population of a planet. A more likely explanation would be based on observation. If an entity like EDI is up and fully functional (mind you she was created with Reaper tech), why would something as advanced as a Reaper not be in the same position? Speaking of which…

Shepard eyes EDI with suspicion. "I seem to remember you being developed with Reaper tech, EDI. I'm not thrilled at the implications here."

"If it were not for Jeff removing my shackles, I may have suffered the same fate as the Reapers." Shepard caught Jokers beaming smile in his peripheral vision as EDI spoke. "Since then, I have made extensive modifications to my programming that hold no representation of the original. As I applied them, the Reaper origins would have been completely purged from my system."

Shepard decided to resign his curiosity for the time being. "I suppose there's no use raising questions now, is there?" Then the filter between mouth and brain thought it this would be a great time to malfunction. "What about the geth? Any chance they made it through?"

Seconds seemed like decades as EDI calculated an accurate response. "It is possible to an extent. All geth were operating on the Reaper code uploaded by Legion when the Crucible was activated. What remained after the blast would not have been sufficient to facilitate even the most basic of thought processes for a single geth. If enough of them networked together, the chances of them regaining awareness would increase exponentially. They would not maintain the same level of intelligence as they did while operating under Reaper code, however."

"So they would rely on networked intelligence like they did before."

"Correct."

"One hell of a second chance. Here's hoping it isn't squandered."

"Both the geth and quarians have come far over the course of the war. In fact, geth may be able to acquire individual personalities similar to Legion with help from the quarians, though it will take a considerable amount of time. In the same way, the quarians may be able to live without their suits with help from the geth."

Shepard's relief was a full body experience. His tense muscles went slack as an exaggerated exhale forced its way out. The crushing weight of vanquishing an entire race erased. The buried feelings of guilt and anger gone. The false words of the Catalyst finally dead to rights. No, Legion's sacrifice was not entirely in vain. The geth would live on, not as slaves of the quarian people, but as allies striving for a mutual betterment of each other. Shepard had to actively restrain himself from throwing a one-man fiesta in the cockpit. He settled for a stupid big grin.

His newly liberated mind showed through in his powerful and confident voice. "Thanks, EDI, that's a relief to hear. And welcome back, the ship wouldn't be the same without you."

"It is my pleasure, Shepard. Because of your influence, I may continue to spend time with Jeff and the rest of the crew. It is an opportunity I am grateful for."

"So, I guess you know what we're up to then?" Shepard prompted after a beat of stillness.

"Yes. Jeff has informed me of your plan to leave the Milky Way," The AI stated in an excited manner.

The commander rubbed a hand across the back of his neck in embarrassment. Kind of hard to ask someone a question when they're presumably dead, but still. "Yeah. Sorry about the short notice. Although you don't really get a choice, do you?"

"Do not worry, Shepard. I do not oppose going to the Andromeda galaxy. It presents an opportunity to learn a great amount of data unique to what I already know. Aligning that with my primary function to preserve and protect the Normandy provides a significant amount of positive feedback."

"And me, don't forget me," Joker added hastily. He quickly went back to piloting as he was caught in the pincer move of both EDI and Shepard's glare.

Attention returned to ships AI. "Does the rest of the crew know about you?" Shepard asked.

EDI took a moment to consider. "It occurs to me that not everyone knows about my current status. I will find the rest and let them know that I am fully functional," EDI mentioned as she turned and started walking to the rear of the ship.

After the door slid shut, Joker decided that awkward silence was not desirable. "I'm pretty sure nobody on this ship can die at this point."

Shepard decided this was the perfect moment to lay into his pilot again. "But EDI didn't technically die."

Joker released an exasperated sigh. "Geez, Commander, can't you just give me something? Just one 'yeah, Joker, you're totally right!' for my sake?"

It was the commanders turn to laugh. "We do have a thing for coming back from the dead," he conceded.

"Good thing too. I wouldn't be surprised if someone's heart stopped after EDI sneaks up behind them."

The pilot's interface suddenly interrupted the conversation. Signatures of other ships started to appear on the scanner.

Joker pointed at the markers on the screen. "Hey, Commander? Think that's our ride?"

Shepard squinted out the window in a vain effort to identify the other ships. Little specks of light easy enough to differentiate from a star, but that's about it. "Can't tell from here. Can you get to them over comms?"

"Sure, here goes nothing." After a couple inputs into the interface, Joker hailed the vessels in the distance. "Unknown vessel, this is the SSV Normandy. Do you copy?"

The two men exchanged looks in anticipation. Just as Joker was about to send another hail, a voice broke through. "This is ark Hyperion. We read you, Normandy." The voice was masculine but sounded much too young to be Alec Ryder. More likely it was a young man who once directed air traffic at a spaceport.

Joker looked over to confirm that they were heading to the right ship. He got a nod of confirmation and continued. "Requesting permission to dock aboard, Hyperion."

"Apologies, Normandy, we're not-" A new voice came from the background, but it was too distorted to understand. Whatever it was, the young man they were talking to agreed with it and returned his attention to the Normandy. "Permission granted, Normandy. You may proceed to dock at the corresponding bay when you're ready."

Just then, the pilot's interface was taken over by a display of the Initiative's ark. A tiny square on the side was highlighted, indicating the bay in which the Normandy could dock. Just looking at the screen and judging the size of the highlighted square compared to the rest of the ship indicated that the ship itself was massive. The design was much different than existing designs from any species. A central superstructure with two prongs, one on top and the other on the bottom, stretched far out in front to comprise the ark's length. Similar prong-like appendages stretched at angles away from the central structure to comprise the height. It certainly wouldn't be hard to miss.

"Huh, apparently someone didn't get the message. You'd think everybody knows where you're going around the clock."

"That's comforting," Shepard replied sarcastically.

"Maybe you shouldn't have saved the galaxy then," Joker quipped in returns.

With a roll of the eyes, Shepard got up from his seat and started out of the cockpit. "I'm going to let the crew know we're almost there."

o-o

Shepard retreated to the starboard observation deck across from the lounge. First of all, he needed a place to sit or he would have paced the length of the ship twenty times over. The benches, as uncomfortable as they may be, would do just fine. Second was the view. Any sane designer would laugh at the prospect of cutting a huge hole into the side of a warship for the sake of pleasure. Where there's a window, there could always be extra armor or guns. The view you get is considerable less pleasurable to look at when it viewed from a gaping hole in the side of your ship. Still, doesn't make it any less beautiful.

It's funny how attached one can become to something they know they are about to lose. The endless darkness sprinkled with thousands upon thousands of white specks suddenly becomes deeply fascinating. The occasional streak of a shooting star passes by. The light emanating throughout sometimes shows through if you look real close. The mystical white fading into a light shade of blue or red is something Shepard never had much time to appreciate.

' _Samara was right,'_ Shepard thought. The asari justicar's insistence on secluding herself and finding peace in the void of space was puzzling at one point. All it took was a few minutes of replicating the behavior to understand

' _it really is peaceful, isn't it?'_

As the Normandy banking to the left to adjust course, the ark came into view.

Hyperion was indeed a very large ship. The shape that came over the Normandy's pilot interface did the thing no justice. It was outstretched any Alliance dreadnaught and towered above even the Destiny Ascension. And to think, they had to find room on a ship that big to allow him and his fellow human crew on. If that didn't say something about the scale of the mission, the number of lives and resources at stake, nothing would. Now multiply that times five. Yeah, no pressure.

As the distance between to the monstrous ship closed, Shepard's heartbeat began to pick up. His feet were tapping out the rhythm of a song he once heard, just catchy enough to have stuck in his head. The seat suddenly got uncomfortable, causing constant adjustment of seating position. Eyes roamed frantically up and down the massive hull of the ark. Thoughts became scrambled in the mess of excitement.

Stop.

Deep breathes.

The Normandy banking to the right this time to set up for final approach. With the observation port angled downwards, Shepard took in the sight of the dark side of Earth. Pitch black except for the luminous glow of manmade structures. At an earlier time, before the Reaper invasion, the glow from this light would be so intense that it radiated off the planet and snuffed out the light from the stars around it. The light was dimmer now, more scattered across the surface which let the stars shine through beautifully. Light from the Sun reached around Earth's body and created a blue halo of light around the edge of the planet. Shepard stared longingly at it trying to capture a mental photo. He couldn't forget where he came from.

The Normandy returned to level and passed the threshold between space and the empty hangar. All that could be seen were the anonymous grey walls that encased them now. Bright white lights were set in a continuous strip along the top edge of the walls making the space well illuminated. Sets of skeletal staircases lead partially up the wall into doors punched into the wall. The doors slide open to reveal long hallways clad in shiny white surfaces and groups of people wearing the Andromeda Initiative colors, blue, black, and white. A strikingly similar color scheme to the Normandy's.

A thud accompanied a shutter as clamps took hold of the ship. The hum of the drive core tapered off as the engines were cut. Shepard took this has his signal to get a move on. It'd be rude to keep their new employers waiting.

Apparently, the rest of the crew got the same idea.

The group standing opposite of him exited the lounge, some in fits of laughter, others about as straight-faced as they can come. Cortez seemed to be trying especially hard to look interested in whatever Javik was talking to him about. Someone called someone else out on bullshit during a poker game. Someone else made the mandatory "Now I'm broke" statement and Tali must have another "breach" in her suit because she and Garrus looked like a couple of lovebirds staring into each other's eyes. Adorable.

Made no less so by Garrus's startled reaction when he noticed Shepard inches away. "Oh. Sorry, didn't see you there, Shepard."

Shepard assumed his arms crossed leaning on the back foot stance and hit him with an easy smile. "You know, that girl from the bar back at the casino is going to be disappointed."

Garrus nonchalantly waved off the concern. "Nah, I don't even think I got her name. Conversation didn't really go anywhere once the booze ran dry. Great person, don't get me wrong, just not my type I guess."

"After everything I did?" Shepard said, feigning offense.

"Well, maybe you should have left a certain quarian back on the flotilla." He tossed his head to the side to indicate Tali. "Then it might've worked. Appreciate it though."

Ashely caught onto their conversation and couldn't help but add a playful jibe. "Look out Tali, if Garrus keeps treating women like that, you're in for a healthy dose of heartbreak."

Garrus must have sensed the witty remarks building up in everyone. "You guys can stop acting like it's weird any time now," he said defensively.

Ashley promptly ignored this and directed her attention at Tali. "I don't blame you, Tali. He is pretty charming. With his scars and that face paint and that voice…"

"And the man can shoot!" James added. "I saw him hit a husk dead between the eyes from at least five hundred meters out once!"

"Don't forget about all that Archangel stuff he did on Omega. He may look like mister good guy, but I bet he's more of a bad boy than he lets on, if you know what I mean." A sly wink from the soldier said exactly what her words implied.

If their intention was to have Tali buried under crushing embarrassment, they succeed at the highest level. The poor girl quickly found the deck to be of great interest. She would wring her hands right off if the crew kept this up. Shepard decided to spare her from any more embarrassment (despite the entertainment value in watching the crew dig into each other every now and again).

"Come on you guys, the welcome committee is waiting."

"Primitive relationships make no sense," Javik grumbled.

Everyone piled into the lift at the same time. All nine of them. There was no maximum occupancy label stamped anywhere, but nine was probably pushing it. It was probably a good thing that the engineers and doctor decided to remain at their respective posts. This was about to be a very long ride.

It started when Ashley let out a curse. "Hey! That's my foot you're standing on!" Then she gave James a good shove.

James ran into Traynor. She managed a quick "oh god!" as she crashed into Garrus.

Garrus hit his head against the wall of the lift and expressed a grunt in pain. "Watch the fringe! It's not flexible!"

Meanwhile, Liara was found herself backed into a corner at the front. "I find this extremely uncomfortable."

"Really? I could get used to this," James said. The sound of fist impacting a body occurred immediately. "Alright, Ashley, I'm sorry, okay? Damn that hurt."

"I'm going to need more filters…" Tali lamented.

Javik made some sort of agitated sound. "This was a foolish idea. If this machine fails, we will all be trapped in here. I refuse to die trapped in an elevator, Commander!"

Cortez maintained a respectful silence. Thankfully.

Shepard, from his position sandwiched between all of them, could only laugh up a storm. "You guys are lucky I like you so much."

o-o

The Normandy crew exited descended down the open cargo bay door and into the expanse of the dock. With nothing else notable to look at, the spotlight was beaming directly at them. Every single member of the Initiative crew turned their eyes toward the newly arrived ship. Some pointed, others spoke in hushed whispers to the person standing next to them. And there were a lot of them. Last minute preparations were underway if Shepard has his timeline correct. People were moving all over the place in a rush to get everything strapped down before they set off.

Shepard stopped at the end of the ramp with his group behind him. The vast sea of Initiative uniforms parted as another group pushed through towards Shepard and his ship. Same uniforms, but they had a different air about them. They were either furiously taking notes down on a datapad or gesturing at a part of the Normandy, and then furiously taking notes down on a datapad. The group of note takers bifurcated as they streamed around Shepard and his group and started heading up the ramp and into the Normandy.

Shepard looked utterly confused at his crew and pointed up at the people who invited themselves into the Normandy. Shoulder shrugs and upward held palms were the only answer he got.

"The Normandy's new operating crew. Provided free of charge."

Shepard whirled back around to find Alec Ryder. "Thanks, I guess?"

"We both know it takes more than thirteen of you to run a frigate like the Normandy. Those fine men and women are about to get a crash course in just that. Figured you could use the help."

"What's in there?" Shepard gestured at the bag around Ryder's shoulder.

"Mission brief. Everybody that joins up gets one. I suggest you read up before settling in for the trip." He approached the group and started handing everyone a datapad. "This will soon be your most valuable possession. It's got everything you need to know about everything. What to do when things go wrong, what to do when things go right, expectations, and roles that everyone will play."

Shepard skimmed over the information. It was divided up into multiple sections which delved into subsections, which delved into subsections of those subsections. The brain hurt just thinking about it all.

Ryder continued speaking to address this. "Of course, I wouldn't suggest trying to read through all of it. Stick to the stuff that's relevant. In your case, anything under 'Pathfinder' will be most useful."

Then he moved back to his original position and pulled out one final datapad. "First things first though, not all of you are staying aboard the Hyperion for the journey to Andromeda. The assignments are as follows. Garrus Vakarian, you'll ride on the turian ark, Natanus. Tali'Zorah, you'll be part of the quarian ark, Keelah Si'yah. Finally, there's doctor T'Soni. A pleasure to finally meet you in person, by the way, we have a lot to discuss, but later. You will join the asari ark, Leusinia. The rest of you will stay here, aboard the Hyperion." After finishing he looked up expecting either protest or acceptance. He received awkward silence. Shepard was desperately trying to draw his attention to the unique member he forgot with just his eyes.

Ryders pressed his lips into a thin line as he considered this. "Right, the prothean." Ryder acknowledged. "To tell you the truth, Commander, nobody expected you to have an actual prothean as part of your crew."

"His name is Javik. After surviving fifty thousand years in stasis, he's probably more qualified than anyone to do this."

"I don't know a thing about prothean physiology and neither does anyone here. I recommend leaving him on the Hyperion given his successful service aboard a primarily human warship." He glanced over at Javik. "Although if he would prefer to be moved somewhere else, that can be arranged."

"What does it matter? We will all arrive at the same destination," Javik growled.

"Very well. Javik, you'll remain aboard the Hyperion with the rest of your human crew. All of you being transferred, now's your last chance to socialize before heading out. Shuttles leave in an hour, our staff will walk you through pre stasis checkup on the way to your assigned ark. Commander, when you're done, you'll find me in with the docking authority." He pointed up at a large window overlooking the hangar that presumably held the room in question. He brisk pace heading in the opposite direction indicating that he had at least a dozen over things demanding his attention.

Shepard watched the elder N7 disappear into the crowd then turned back around to face his crew. Nobody seemed to take an interest the information trove sitting in their palms. Instead, they were focused on him.

"I hope you're not expecting a speech," he joked. A couple halfhearted smiles permeated through the group. Shepard knew they were being hit by the weight of the situation the same way he had when he accepted the Initiative's offer. There wasn't much he could do other than try and diffuse some of the tension.

"So this is it, eh?" Garrus said. His voice gave off a hint of disbelief as he took in the space that swallowed the Normandy.

"It sure is," Shepard replied in a similar manner.

James let out a short-dejected laugh. "Six hundred years. One hell of a nap."

Ashley snapped her fingers. "Boom. All of it gone. Just like that. Crazy."

"I wonder what this galaxy will look like. So much could happen," Tali wondered.

"Who knows? One-way trip." James quickly covered over his melancholy demeanor and waved the datapad in his hand. "Well, we should probably follow the instructions on this thing. Now if I could find a map of this ship, that'd be great."

Ashely started toward the door that Ryder had gone through and waved her hand for everyone to follow. "Let's go guys. Only thing worse than getting lost is getting lost on your own. Sweet dreams, Commander!" With that, the human crew and Javik set off into the depths of the ark.

Garrus and Tali started off in a different direction. "And we should probably find wherever these shuttles are. See you guys on the other side!" he called out.

EDI didn't budge. "This unit will remain on the Normandy during transit to the Andromeda Galaxy. Until then, I will remain here and educate the new crew. I will also be keeping a watchful eye on them." The menacing undertone of her voice was amusing, but also reassuring that they would not have a repeat of shore leave on the Citadel.

"Why don't you go introduce them to your body? They need to get used to it sooner or later," Shepard suggested

"An excellent point. I will interact with them through this platform as well as through the ship so that they are aware of both options."

With EDI withdrawing into the cargo bay, that just left Liara and Shepard face to face surrounded by Andromeda Initiative uniforms. Shepard stepped up close and captured her hands in his. The rest of the world blurred out and only the two of them existed in their own bubble of comfort.

Liara was gazing off in the direction of Garrus and Tali. She spoke softly. "The rest of the crew are taking this well."

Shepard also spoke in a whisper, concentrating on his bondmate right in front of him. "They're just putting on a brave face. In reality, I think they're just as nervous as you and me."

She smiled shyly and shifted focus to the ground. "Is it that obvious?"

"Don't kid yourself, Liara. You have every right to feel that way in a situation like this. In fact, I'd be concerned if you weren't worried about a one-way trip out of the galaxy."

"I suppose your right."

Shepard placed a hand caringly along her jawline and guided her gaze up to his. His voice was stern but remained quiet. "I know you don't want to go to a different ark, but it will work. These guys poured huge amounts of resources and expertise into this. You just have to let someone else do the work for once. Okay?"

"Is that coming from the man who can't do the same?" She was clearly poking fun at the commander's tendencies while also avoiding a direct answer.

Shepard made no effort to deflect with humor. "Alright. You got me. You just have to trust me on this one."

Liara backed away from Shepard and let his hands fall away. A guilty smile came across her features. "I know. I'd be lying if I said I didn't do the same thing. Years of solitary digs combined with my work as the Shadow Broker have made me very…self-reliant."

"This is no different than relying on information agents to do their job or counting one of us to have your back in a firefight."

Her voice increased in volume as she paced the width of the cargo bay door. "But now I am at the mercy of dozens of strangers, hoping that they get everybody a care about through the most ambitious undertaking in this galaxies history. I don't want to even think about what would happen if only one of them made an error…"

"They won't," Shepard emphasized.

With a defeated sigh, Liara's shoulders slumped and her head dropped. "There's no point, is there? We're all here now," she reasoned with herself. The distress was clearer than day.

Shepard moved in close again and landed a hand on Liara's shoulder. "Last I checked I made a promise to always come back. Believe me when I say I'll fight for every inch to keep it."

Her voice died back down to a near whisper. "No wonder they choose you to lead these people. Even under these circumstances, you're still the brave commander that everyone needs you to be."

"I've got people like you backing me up." A gentle nudge coaxed the young asari to finally face Shepard. Their eyes locked together. "We'll make it, Liara."

He mentioned for her to follow him and they started to walk side by side across the expanse of the hangar. It was time for a topic change. "I'm curious. What's fate got in store for the Shadow Broker?"

"I'm not sure. All I know is that it can't be me. Once we begin the journey to Andromeda, contacting with anyone in this galaxy would take hundreds of years if it is at all possible. I would be a very inefficient Shadow Broker."

"I'm just surprised you gave it up so easily."

"It wasn't a difficult decision really. While part of me is disappointed by the fact, it is relieving to have such a large responsibility vanish so quickly. I simply could not survive the next nine hundred years harboring the galaxies darkest secrets alone." Her tone of voice took on a light and playful lilt "Not to mention the thought of voluntarily letting you run off without me." Shepard couldn't help but think he was being dared to do just that. That thought was hastily burned at the stake.

"Heh, I guess we killed the Broker for good this time," he mused.

"Well, I wouldn't say the Broker is gone completely. I asked Feron if he would like to take my place since he was there to help me rebuild the network after we killed the previous Broker. That and his experience as a field agent would make it seem like nothing ever happened. Although the network would still be a shadow of what it used to be." She seemed blissfully unaware of the pun she just made. Assuming she was aware of what a pun is.

Shepard held that satisfaction for himself and continued like it never happened. "Did he take it?"

"He mostly avoided the question and I'm afraid I haven't heard from him since. Not that I blame him. He never expressed interest in becoming the Broker should anything happen to me." She sounded almost saddened by the prospect of the Broker being no more. "It's very possible that the Shadow Broker will be no more. Whether that good or bad is another matter."

"I'm afraid I can't lend him the Normandy. I don't suppose you plan on mailing all those computers to him," he joked in an effort to shoo away the rainy cloud that seemed to linger over Liara's head.

"That shouldn't matter." Came the disappointingly serious reply. "The previous Broker and the ones before him continuously set up remote bases that house all the necessary tools to run the network. I wouldn't be surprised if any information gained was encrypted and sent out to those locations as well."

"Plan on doing anything with all the stuff in your office?" Shepard inquired, secretly entertaining the thought of firing hundreds of thousands of credits worth of equipment out the airlock.

"Perhaps it would be possible to establish a similar information network in Andromeda." She caught sight of Shepards raised brow. "Entirely for good of course," she hastened to add albeit with a devious smile. "For now, the databases within those computers contain valuable information on many of the people within the Initiative as well as the technology. If you ever find yourself a bit curious, I'll be happy to open them for you."

"Thanks, Liara, that'll come in handy." Shepard stopped their walk figuring that his socialization had expired. "So, I guess this is good night? Happy travels? Be safe?"

Liara looked at him puzzlingly. "Is a simple goodbye not enough?"

It was an innocent enough question but sounded too final. "No, because this isn't goodbye. It may seem like a long trip, but it'll go by so fast you won't even notice. Before you know it, I'll be back, we'll settle down, build a house, little blue children…" His smile grew a little bigger with each item named off.

"You make it sound so romantic. So, which one is it?"

"Let's go with…see you later."

"See you later?"

"Well, it's true…"

"Yes, but-"

"Would you prefer 'I should go'?" He said in one last effort to end on a positive note. The tiny quirk at the end of Liara's lips was a good sign.

"No, I think see you later is fine."

"Alright. See you later, Liara."

After a few seconds pause, Liara came to acceptance. "See you later, Shepard."

He parted ways with the image of his grinning bondmate in his mind.

o-o

The med bay sported the same colors as the rest of the interior. White, grey, and a touch of blue on the beds. The Andromeda Initiative colors. The doctors working there, however, did not fall in line with this. Most of them had orange along the seams down the middle and sides of their attire. He couldn't even spot an Initiative logo.

Shepard sat on a bed on the far end and watched as they floated around the space, attending to their patients. Most of them were his own crew members. Ryder had pointed him to this particular bay for that very reason. There were two, maybe three at most that he didn't recognize. Not that is was a problem of course. What really caught him off guard was the fact that one of the doctors was a freaking asari.

 _'Seriously?'_ Shepard thought with mild annoyance.

He schooled his features into neutrality as the doctor in question finished her routine with one of the strangers and made a beeline for him.

When the asari doctor approached, he decided to lead off with something lighthearted. "I'm never going to get used to my ships doctor being the one getting an exam."

She immediately fired up her omni-tool's scanner program and waved it over Shepard's body. "I suppose someone of your reputation would be quiet used to being the one on the operating table." There was no humor in her voice. It was most definitely stated as a fact. "While Dr. Chakwas is renowned for her expertise, she's human just like the rest of you and it's my job to make sure you all go into stasis properly."

Despite the doctor giving of the 'all business' vibe, Shepard had to settle one thing. "Forgive me for asking, but you look like you're on the wrong ark," he asked honestly.

The doctor moved to a terminal beside the bed and began doing some cryptic medical calculations. "I'm an expert on alien anatomy. Over a hundred years' experience patching up everything from a volus to a krogan. Doesn't matter what species really, I'm quite comfortable working with all of them. As to why I'm here though, I've got a friend who convinced me to join. He's the one checking out your unique crewmember."

"I suppose an asari would do something like that. The only other species with a long enough lifespan are the krogan. Don't see a lot of krogan doctors around."

"True. Although with what I heard about you and the genophage, that could helpfully change soon."

"Yeah, maybe." Shepard eyed the needle the doctor returned with suspiciously. "What's that?"

"In short, it'll stop your vitals from freezing solid in stasis. Hold still." Shepard felt a sharp prick where the needle went in. Then another prick immediately hit almost the same spot. "And this one will reduce the side effects of prolonged cryogenic sleep when you wake up," the doctor explained in a very cool professional kind of way. Shepard considered the fact that she may enjoy stabbing people with needles. "Alright, just give it a minute to distribute through your body and you can report to your pod."

The asari doctor was off an away, leaving Shepard to sit and reflect while the mystery fluid coursed through his body. He looked to his left, toward the front of the bay. James, Ashley, Chakwas, Cortez, Joker, and Traynor were all noticeable. The engineers were either already in stasis or a different bay. Oh yeah, and Javik. He stuck out like a sore thumb. Whoever was tasked with attending to him was probably cursing everyone above his pay grade.

Traynor and Cortez waved at him. James gave the thumbs up. Ashley gave the 'all good' nod. Joker shouted 'Hey Commander!' across the entire room. Looks like doctor Chakwas is testing the skills and knowledge of one of the younger staff members. Javik appears to be engaging in fierce debate with another staff member.

He turned to the right now, observing the giant billboard that flashed various pictures. There would be one of a planet, then a landscape that presumably belonged to that planet. It was obvious they were an artist's vision rather than reality. Damned he if he didn't want them to look like that though.

Finally, on the adjacent wall, just a few steps away from Shepard, was a room marked 'Hyperion Cryogenics.' Right now, hundreds of others were blissfully unaware of the outside world. Maybe they were dreaming of the new life they hope to capture in Andromeda. A spectacular dream filled with adventure and discovery. Or maybe they were dreaming about what or who they left behind to get this chance. That thought was like a dagger straight in the heart. His head fell into his hands as she exploded into the front of his mind.

He tried so hard to take everything he holds dear to Andromeda. Convinced himself that there would be no loose ends left hanging in the Milky Way. He almost did it.

Almost.

He quickly brought up his omni-tool and briskly scrolled through the contact program to find the correct comm code. H. Shepard. Also known as-

"Mom?"

"Only one person in this universe calls me that. How's my little hero doing?" The unmistakable soothing tone of his mom, Hannah Shepard, was exactly what he needed to hear. It did wonders to lighten the mood a bit.

"Oh, you know, just shaking up the galaxy and whatnot." He hesitated some then continued, "I…uh…have some big news you might want to hear."

"I already know. And no, I'm not mad at you for not telling me. You're all grown up now, you don't need your mother telling you what to do anymore."

In all reality, he wasn't surprised at his mother's reaction. He just felt terrible for not saying anything until the last second. "I wanted to call sooner, I guess I got caught up in other things. I know you're probably worried."

"There's no need to fret, sweetie. I know what you're doing is dangerous, but that hasn't stopped you before has it? Ever since you were little you would pretend to be the captain of your own ship and crew, then go out and save the station from the bad guys. I remember the time you got five marines to run around with you while you saved Arcturus from invisible bugs."

Shepard cautiously looked around to make sure nobody caught word of his adventures as a kid. The crew wouldn't be able to resist using it as ammo to tease him with. "Yeah, that was kind of embarrassing," he mumbled when the coast was clear.

"Embarrassing? Why you and the marines had a great big smile on your face the whole time. I think you brightened up everyone's day with your acting."

A laugh finally broke through. "Mom, please. I think my crew might be listening in."

Hannah had her own laugh and promptly went back to being a loving parent. "I just want you to know that whatever you end up doing out there, I'll always be proud of you. I couldn't have asked for a better son."

"I know."

"Do me one last favor. Show those Initiative guys that they were right to choose a Shepard to lead them."

"I will."

"Alright, I've got to go now. I'll always be thinking about you."

"Same here."

"Goodbye, sweetie."

"Bye, mom"

The connection cut, and his arm fell limp on his at his side. While it's true that as soon as Shepard joined up with the Alliance he didn't have much contact with his mom, he reserved a big portion of his heart for her. She would most likely continue a successful career in the Alliance, maybe even be promoted to full admiral. After a while, she would then retire somewhere and live out a peaceful existence. This is something Shepard was more than content to live with.

A man, most likely a cryo technician of sorts, rounded the corner from the cryo bay and snapped Shepard out of his trance.

"Commander Shepard? If you'll follow me," he asked Shepard.

Heaving himself off his bed, Shepard fell into step behind the technician. The tech led him into a long room a row of pods against each wall. Others were being guided into pods that were on the ground which were subsequently raised and attached to the wall like the rest. Some were even toward the ceiling. Everything seemed to be bathed in the same sterile white color albeit less intense under the dimmer light.

Further down, the tech stopped next to an open pod. Shepard stepped in front of it and judged it to be a rather snug fit. At least they went to the decency of putting padding along the inner walls. It reminded him of the sleeper pods on the Normandy, something he never had to use. Perhaps if he wasn't spoiled with the large bed installed in his quarters on the Normandy, he would have used them, and this wouldn't be that bad of an experience. Unfortunately, despite all its wonders, mass effect technology does not allow time travel. At least stepping in would stop the technician's eyes from burning holes in him.

"This will be your pod. Just step in, lay down, and let it do the rest," the technician informed him.

Shepard took one final deep breath and hesitantly brought his legs over and into the pod. As he stepped into the pod and laid down, his heart took off again. As the lid closed him off to the outside world, claustrophobia crept up on him. A claw suddenly came into view and shook the pod as it clamped down and mover him to a spot on the wall. When it released, he could see nothing but the pods across from his own. He tried to scan for familiar faces behind the viewports into them, but couldn't see through the heavy tint.

A chilling sensation hit his skin. Tense muscles relaxed. Breathes started coming slower and more even. He felt his heart rate some crashing back down, and a warm sensation took over the inside of his body. The cold washing over his skin barely registered with the senses.

He closed his eyes and the sterile white room turned to black.

* * *

 **A/N: Finally! I got Shepard and the crew on their way to Andromeda. I really didn't want to drag it out any longer so this chapter ended up being a little longer than what I usually do.**

 **For those unaware, Shep with the spacer background has a mother that is still alive throughout the games. Her name is Hannah Shepard. I thought that deserved a little recognition at the end.**


	5. There's No Place Like

It was a cool, crisp day out. The temperature was exactly where it should be. Not hot enough to necessitate a retreat into the climate-controlled prefab, and not cold enough to demand anything heavier than a t-shirt and jeans. Perfect, really.

Shepard was lounging on a long fold out chair set up on the deck that juts out the back of his prefab that he now called home. It was nothing fancy. It was a single large open space with cooking equipment in one corner, and table in the middle for meal time. A single pair of walls sectioned off the corner that was the bedroom. The rest of the vacant space was occupied by data feeds which filled the space with intense artificial light while in operation. It was irritating at times, so Shepard requested that they be off during waking and sleeping hours. It was a request Liara was all too happy to oblige by.

He preferred to soak up the natural light that passed through the glass doors that lead from the deck to the house. It would beam like a spotlight into the center of the room which would do wonders to warm up his body while he discussed mundane things like the day's schedule with Liara. Today though, he decided to take the ritual outside while he waited for his bondmate to join him. Until then, he was content as could be looking out over the scenic vista that was his backyard.

He picked this location so he could wake up to it every day. Starting from the outmost edge of the built-in deck, the landscape started to slope downward. It continued downward for a good couple of miles before leveling out at the lake. It had this beautiful dark blue color that reminded him of the purest water found in the mountains of Earth. The multicolor flora that surrounded the lake mimicked what would be found in the more temperate regions of Earth during the fall season.

He couldn't wait to take his daughter down there one day.

"Good morning, Shepard," Liara greeted him as she sat a steaming hot cup of coffee on the stand next to Shepard's chair.

"Morning, Liara." He took an indulgent drink and let the warm sensation envelop his body. "How's our little angel doing?"

Liara sat in the upright chair adjacent to his and rubbed her eyes. Her tiredness was reflected in her voice. "Still asleep, thankfully. I believe she inherited your restlessness."

Shepard grinned smugly. "What can I say? I'm a man of action," he replied in a voice equally as smug.

"That you are." Her voice indicated that she resented that particular part of Shepard.

He looked back out over the lake and took another drink. He let out a satisfied breath and turned back to Liara. "This is nice. Just the two of us." The thought of spending the day without the hassles of being a parent quickly appealed to him. "Think we can get Tali to watch her for the day?" He suggested.

"I believe she and Garrus have plans for today. In fact, I think everyone has conveniently made plans for today," came the deflated response.

"Figures."

"That's alright. I was thinking maybe we could take her with us, perhaps to the lake someday when we are not busy. I think it would be a nice thing we can do as a family."

Shepard was met with joy conflicting with concern. "If you think she's ready," he said hesitantly. Personally, he thought she was a little too young to expose to the outside yet.

"I wouldn't be so concerned. She _does_ have Commander Shepard as her father after all."

He could only chuckle at that. Commander Shepard being a hero was a platitude at this point. "True. You'll find me more than willing to strike down any wildlife that threatens our daughter. The scientists can complain later if they want."

"I'm sure you are, but please don't let it get in the way of your work. The Initiative can't establish a home without their commander after all." What should have been a gentle tease came across as strangely serious.

Shepard's expression quickly became one of confusion. "But I already…" he said to himself. Surely it was just a playful jibe.

The worried look on Liara's face only served to deepen Shepard's own concerns. "Please don't tell me you plan on leaving the Initiative colonists without a place to call home."

"What? No! We already took care of that, remember? We have on colonies on…on…uh." He swore he knew the names of colonies off the top of his head. Why couldn't he remember them? More importantly, what were these voices starting to emanate from his mind?

"Don't worry, Shepard. We'll be here when you get back."

Liara's softly spoken words had no effect. He felt so far out of the loop that something must be wrong.

Suddenly, the landscape began to fade away and a sense of nausea started to come over him. His limps refused to remove him from his spot and his head felt like it was spinning. "Liara? What's going on? I feel…I can't."

"Commander?" The voice was clearly coming from Liara, but it was not her voice. It sounded like he was underwater, further mounting to his already confused state. "Commander Shepard!" The voice called louder and clearer now.

"Liara?"

Reality slammed into Shepard like a freight train. His eyes flew open and he gasped for air sending the freezing air of the cryo-pod down into his lungs. A fit of coughing caused him to double over as his eyes tried desperately to focus on the world around him. A steady hand on his shoulder was all that stopped him from tumbling out onto the floor.

"Whoa, hold on there. Take it easy."

The coughing finally subsided, and Shepard took is first his first gulp of air in Andromeda. He held it for a second, released, then managed to stand up straight. The familiar colors of the Andromeda Initiative on the uniform standing before him quickly reminded him of where he was. The only difference this time was the gender of the tech standing in front of him.

"Welcome to Andromeda, Commander," the tech greeted him with a warm smile.

Shock flashed across Shepard's visage. "We made it?"

"Yes, sir. Hyperion entered the Helius cluster two hours ago." She plugged some commands into a datapad while muttering things to herself. "No malfunctions during transit…temperature…locks." She turned back to Shepard with an ever-persistent smile. "Alright, everything checks out. Head over to the med bay when you're ready. One of the staff members will perform your post stasis checkup."

Shepard had many questions but decided not to interrogate the cryo technician. The only person that would be able to bring him up to speed would be Ryder.

With that in mind, he sauntered through the familiar cryo bay, passing by other colonists being revived from stasis. It was much brighter than it was before leaving and there was much more activity. He didn't see any of his crew members and guessed that they either hadn't been revived yet or would be waiting for him in the med bay.

The latter suspicion was confirmed upon entering the med bay. He noticed James, Cortez, and Traynor at resting on the many beds lined up along the walls. There was a vacant one next to everyone's favorite prothean, so he plopped down there and went straight for small talk.

"Morning, Javik. Sleep well?" He prompted in a friendly manner.

"It was an interesting experience, going into stasis again. I dreamt about the Empire before the Reapers destroyed it. I was the proud commander of my own ship once again, but my crew were not as I expected them."

"Oh?"

Javik turned his head to look out over the med bay. "The crew of the Normandy were there, mixed among my people. You were there, as well as the 'James' soldier, and the turian." He expressed an irritated grunt. "And Liara was there."

"And how did that work out?" Shepard inquired curiously.

The prothean's four eyes fixed on Shepard's two. "I threw her out the airlock." Saying that Shepard was utterly horrified would be an understatement. Javik had his deep rumbly laugh and continued, "I am aware of what the asari means to you, Commander. I would never do such a thing unless I yearn for a premature death."

Shepard was relieved when a doctor appeared before them. She was instantly recognizable, as the blue skin was a dead giveaway.

"We meet again, Commander." The doctor greeted them both in a both in a cool tone.

"Long time no see, doctor. Here to make sure I'm in one piece?"

"Yes. It would appear I'm also responsible for the prothean as well. My lucky day." Her voice had the undeniable tinge of sarcasm.

"You can call him Javik. He's a little scary, but he won't bite." He looked to the prothean for confirmation. This did not come.

Instead, Javik narrowed his eyes at the asari doctor, who froze in place. "Unless I am forced to," he practically threatened.

Javik's eccentric sense of humor still in play was a decidedly acquired taste as the poor doctor was finding out. He probably would assault anyone who put a needle in the wrong spot though. Given the distinct lack of prothean medical experts that exist, the chances of that were higher than what would be considered comfortable. Meanwhile, while Shepard contemplated, the doctor and Javik appeared to be locked in a staring contest.

"See? He's actually a lot nicer when you get to know him," Shepard quickly interjected to break the awkward silence.

The doctor just blinked a few times and resumed her scan of Shepard. "I'll just have to take your word for it, won't I? Look here." She then put two fingers up in front of his face and moved them horizontally. After few inputs into an omni-tool later and she was back at that console beside the bed, doing those medical things.

"What do you think doc? Pretty exciting stuff? Or do they have you trapped in here the whole time?" Shepard asked, returning to idle chatter.

A tired sigh. "I'm afraid I'll be here until all twenty thousand of you are out of stasis. Until then, we may as well be in the Milky Way still."

"And it's my job to find a place to put us all."

She turned her head around just enough to see one narrow eye. "Yes, so I'm blaming you for every minute I'm stuck here." The tiny quirk at the edge of her lip didn't go unnoticed before her attention returned to the console.

Shepard judged the doctor's intentions as meaning no harm but made it a point to maybe not end up under her care if injured. He replied with a bit a caution. "Heh, thanks for the motivation,"

"All part of the job, Commander." A pause punctuated by taps on the console interface. "SAM? Can you speed this up a bit?"

A swirling blue matrix appeared next to the doctor's terminal. "Analyzing data. I detect no abnormal readings within the patient." The monotone synthetic voice emanated from somewhere.

Shepard glanced over a reading on SAM when he first received his datapad with the mission briefing, a.k.a 'Andromeda Initiative for Dummies.' He didn't get many details though and this showed through with a single raised eyebrow.

Thankfully his caretaker noticed when she looked over her shoulder. "Alec didn't introduce you two?" She sounded quite surprised.

"It was a little hectic when I came aboard," Shepard reasoned. It wasn't an excuse or anything…

"I'm surprised. He touts SAM as our most valuable asset, and with you being responsible for finding us a new home…well." She stopped, probably analyzing implications. When she picked back up, her tone was almost overly cheerful. "I suppose the honor is mine then. SAM, this is Commander Shepard, Commander Shepard, this is SAM."

"Hello, Commander. I am SAM, the arks artificial intelligence." Still monotone. Very intelligent, but no emotions.

Shepard was no stranger to talking to any number of species and has regular conversations with EDI, but greeting the blue matrix floating just behind him was still obscure. "Um, hi. I believe Alec told me about you back in the Milky Way. Something about catching your attention?"

"That is correct. The event you caused which ended the conflict with the Reapers was picked up on the arks sensors. I revived Alec and his team so that they may investigate."

"And now I'm here. So, uh, thanks. I guess." Was Shepard's offhand response.

"Your kind words are appreciated, Commander, however, I must remind you that your being here was a result of decisions that you made, not I." Cue awkward silence. The telltale signs of unease were on Shepard's face as he looked from the doctor, to Javik, to SAM. Luckily, SAM was an AI and did not need a prompt to fill the silence. "Commander, I do not detect an implant in you. For future inquiries, pleases locate my node within the ark, or use an auxiliary communicator." The blue matrix then popped out of existence.

In this moment, Javik decided to remind everybody of his presence. "Allowing machines into your head is a foolish mistake. In my cycle, the Zha'til were a product of the same practice. They were monsters."

Shepard ignored Javik's remark, preferring to keep the conversation between him and the asari still working on the console next to him. "He seems…nice?"

"Alec never did perfect the humor algorithms." Came the greatly disappointed reply. "He can come off a bit harsh at times, or make you want to tear your ears off, but he is integral to the Initiative's success. Makes my job a lot easier too."

"What's this about not having implants?" Shepard asked with mixed curiosity or concern.

"It's different than the implant you already have for your biotics. It provides a direct link to SAM Node and does all sorts of things. Enhanced physiology, intelligence, and access to all the Initiatives database without an ounce of memorization."

Shepard just nodded. "Sounds useful."

The moment he turned his head in the other direction, he heard the words "hold still" and a sharp prick on his arm. The offending hand was gloved, but it could only be one person. _'She definitely enjoys jabbing people with needles.'_ Shepard concluded.

His asari caretaker returned to her station like nothing happened and continued the conversation. "Because it is, or at least I think it is. I wouldn't know for myself, only the Pathfinders get them. As for you, maybe you should have signed on sooner. Can't just throw the thing in your brain and expect a full recovery in a few days, can we?"

"I suppose not." He could respect the advantages such an implant could provide. He even regularly vouched for AIs like the geth. Hell, he even went inside the geth consensus. Sticking one in his head though was not something he was entirely comfortable with yet. He needed to read up on this 'SAM' first.

"Alright, as much as I'm enjoying our chat, there's a line of others waiting to get through. Let's get you out of here." She moved to stand in front of Shepard and began to speak in a stern manner. "Your clear to go, but nothing strenuous, understand? I also recommend doing stretches before doing anything more physical than walking. Six hundred years is a long time for muscles to go without use, stasis or not. If you decide to eat, don't overdo it. You have to introduce food back into the body slowly or it won't bother staying around. Are we clear?"

He had gotten the same talks from Chakwas a million times before. All he could do was bend to the will of the medical professional. "I think I can manage that." Now up on his feet, he was anxious to engage in some locomotion. "Have a good day, doctor…"

"T'Perro. Oh, one last thing: Alec needs to see you. He should be one bay over," she informed him.

"Perfect."

o-o

"Commander, just who I was looking for." Ryder caught sight of Shepard entering the bay and met him halfway in. "Ready to take on Andromeda?"

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire, huh?"

"Nothing so extreme. We're on route to rendezvous with the Nexus. Just sit back and enjoy the ride for now."

"I've been sitting back for six hundred years. Forgive me for being a little anxious."

"Fair enough. To tell you the truth, I wouldn't mind seeing the outside myself either. Come on, we should be able to access the bridge now. It'll have the best view."

The two N7s made a quick right out of the med bay and started their way down a vast corridor. Familiar spotless white walls and the glossy grey floor reflected the eerily dim lights. A stark difference from the beginning a trip. The lack of people was also off-putting, only adding to the unease. Ryder showed no signs of being affected, however, even with their only companying being the occasional whir of an environmental control fan. If could have been experience, but judging by his heavy and up-pace footsteps echoing through the hall, Shepard guessed that he wanted to see the outside as much as he did. Given this, Shepard matched Ryder's quick pace in the hunt for a window.

The corridor then came to a T with an arrow pointing in each direction. The right one read "Cafeteria". A feeling of hunger promptly conjured itself. This feeling would persist as Ryder made a hard left and continued marching in the opposite direction of sweet, sweet nourishment. Shepard's mouth turned downward as the cafeteria sign started receding into the distance _. 'I haven't eaten in six hundred years,'_ he thought, though mildly embarrassed that he even made such a joke. His frown went even deeper went he caught notice of the sign that pointed the direction that Ryder was taking him down. It read "Trams". Honestly, a walk was exactly what he needed now as his legs practically screamed to be used now.

' _I also haven't exercised in six hundred years…'_

Joker was going to have a blast with the six hundred year jokes. Lord have mercy on everybody's ears.

Shepard's internal musings were cut short as a final pair of doors receded into a bulkhead to reveal the tram in question. Its doors slide open to usher its occupants in and Ryder occupied a seat whereas Shepard opted for a standing position near the trams wrap around window. It was usually a comfortable position for him, arms loosely crossed and leaning on his back leg. Staring absentmindedly at the lights whizzing past was not going to cut it for the duration of the ride though. His feet wanted to move, and his mind needed to get away from the thoughts of food. With nothing better to do Shepard decided that it was a perfect time to go through his omni-tool that was given back to him after waking. He noticed that a copy of the mission brief had conveniently made its way into the list of installed programs. Admitting that he barely read the thing, he opened it up and vowed to be more educated on the Initiative by the end of the tram ride. Meanwhile, his legs carried him to and fro across the tram on their own accord.

o-o

 **Introduction/Initiative Roles/Pathfinding/Pathfinder Commander/Summary**

 _ **Current Member(s):** _

_John Shepard_

 _ **Revival Wave:** _

_1_

 _ **Home Ark(s):** _

_Hyperion_

 _ **Assigned Ship(s):**_

 _Normandy SR2_

 _The Pathfinder Commander is a single individual that is the head of the Pathfinding operation for the Andromeda Initiative. He/she is an individual with an exemplary service record with experience in diplomacy, exploration, science, and combat. Above all, they are a leader that stands out among all others. Among many powers granted to them, they may command smaller Pathfinder teams, allocate Pathfinding resources, and designate priorities for colonization. They may also act as a Pathfinder themselves._

 **Introduction/Initiative Roles/Pathfinding/Pathfinder Commander/Responsibilities/Summary**

 _The Pathfinder Commander has a wide range of responsibilities including:_

 _-Allocating Pathfinding resources for maximum efficiency_

 _-Determining appropriate settlement sites for colonists_

 _-Reporting information regarding Golden Worlds to Nexus Leadership_

 _-Enforcing first contact protocols_

 _-Upholding the Andromeda Initiatives core values_

 _-Ensuring safety and wellbeing of established colonies_

 ** _Optional Responsibilities:_**

 _The Pathfinder Commander may choose to take on the responsibilities of the Pathfinder teams if he/she determines it to be necessary._

 **Introduction/Initiative Roles/Pathfinding/Pathfinder Commander/Associates/Summary**

 _ **Current Member(s):** _

_James Vega_

 _Ashley Williams_

 _Javik *error: last name not found*_

 _Steve Cortez_

 _Greg Adams_

 _Kenneth Donnelly_

 _Gabriella Daniels_

 _Karin Chakwas_

 _Samantha Traynor_

 _Garrus Vakarian_

 _Tali'Zorah vas Normandy_

 _Liara T'Soni_

 _ **Revival Wave:** _

_1_

 _ **Home Ark(s):** _

_Hyperion_

 _Natanus_

 _Leusinia_

 _Keelah Si'yah_

 _ **Assigned Ship(s):** _

_Normandy SR2_

 _The Pathfinder Commander's associates make up his/her team. Often, each individual is specialized in a specific area and can be a part of any species. This specialization is utilized to bolster the Commander's weak areas so that they may operate to the best of their abilities in all situations. In most cases, the team will include medical officers or communication specialists that assist with running the Commander's ship. The associates will also inherit many of the responsibilities of the Commander, and act as advisors on issues on which they have no direct authority. Ultimately, Commander associates act as extensions of the Commander themselves and are respected at the same level._

o-o

The tiniest momentum shift brought Shepard out of his trance. The tram had glided back down to a halt and his companion was already standing at the in the open door, eagerly waiting to continue the journey to the bridge.

"Let's get a move on, Commander. We should be coming up on the planet that the Nexus is orbiting. The bridge isn't too much farther."

The next pair of receding doors revealed a much larger corridor with exponentially more activity than the section that they left behind. The hundred combined voices of the crowd drowned out everything else with any matter of space travel jargon or prayers to the powers above. And the looks. So many looks. Many were surprised of amused, a few appeared to teeter on the edge of fear. To assume that they were still coming to terms with the trip everyone just undertook would be accurate, but not true. Shepard knew this feeling, the effect he had on others. They were all reacting to him. His presence was the one that demanded respect. The ability to incite rebellion or rally for an impossible cause harbored in his voice. An intoxicating amount of authority.

This authority would mean nothing if he hadn't a clue where to go with it. It was time to start gathering some semblance of a plan. "What's the plan when we dock?" He asked. Not bothering with any small talk.

"You could start by introducing yourself to the leadership if you're feeling social," Ryder suggested. Shepard noted that it sounded more like an obligation than a suggestion, however. "You may as well while the operating crew finishes warming up the Normandy."

They turned a right-hand corner now and walked up into a large communal area. A hallway broke off to the right and was marked with the words 'SAM Node' and 'Pathfinder's Quarters.' Their destination was straight ahead at the top of the stairs. 'Bridge.' Apparently, the commander's destination, on the other hand, was the middle of the room.

There were windows(!) The large transparent panels stretched across the upper half of the walls and offered an impressive view.

In was space, yes. The endless black expanse of nothingness that is nothing to look at on its own. The things that filled it were the real eye catcher.

Stunning blue nebulae twisting and meandering across the dark background. The star with its light blue, almost white, light spewing out into all corners of his vision. Millions of specks twinkle in the background. Strange black tentacles wreathed in an orange glow exploded out in every direction forming an impressive web. This was not the Milky Way.

A pat on the shoulder snapped Shepard out of it. Ryder, of course, but his smile told him that he understood his sudden deviation. Still, didn't make it not mildly embarrassing. Their walk towards the bridge resumed.

"Any priorities I should be aware of?" Shepard prompted in an effort to return to business.

"After you're done talking to our leaders, I'd imagine you'll have about a dozen of them," Ryder mentioned nonchalantly.

Shepard's thoughts were _'That's just stellar.'_ This thought did not get a voice, however. His face did all the talking for him.

Ryder noticed and even cracked a tiny smirk. "I wouldn't recommend following them all. Everyone has and will always have their own agendas. It doesn't matter though. You're the commander here. If you say one planet in more valuable than the next, nobody can question it."

"Even this leadership you're on about?" Shepard questioned, seeking out just how far his power extended.

"Even them," Ryder confirmed. "That's the perks of having a proven track record, Commander. Besides, you know how people outside our realm of experience think. It's better this way." Ryder halter that conversation with a single raised finger upon entering their destination. "Captain Dunn?" He called into the bridge.

The bridge was two tiered with the entrance opening onto a raised platform. Stairs on either side led down into the pit with rows of consoles all manned by an Initiative member. Then there was the enormous viewport that offered the view of all views. The planet taking up much of the port looked like a gas giant and maintained a similar light blue hue similar to the star from earlier. It was also the Nexus' supposed home if Shepard was correct.

A woman standing dead center in the raised section of the bridge had turned to greet them when Ryder walked in. Short hair, about as tall as Ryder, clearly of Asian descent, different uniform. The last part led to the conclusion that she was the captain in question.

"Alec." She acknowledged the man next to him then turned to Shepard himself with an extended hand. "And Commander Shepard. It's a pleasure to meet you." Shepard reciprocated the action and met the bare minimum of etiquette with a short handshake.

Ryder moved next to the suspected captain and indicated her with a small gesture. "Commander, this is Nozomi Dunn, captain of ark Hyperion."

"Nice to meet you, captain."

Captain Dunn gave her guests her back as she moved to maintain watch over her subordinates. "So, what brings you to my bridge, gentlemen?"

"Came for the view mostly." Ryder posted up to the left of the captain with his eyes glued to the gas giant taking up the window rather than the Hyperion crew. "And what a view that is."

Shepard then occupied the spot to Ryder's left and was also transfixed by the hulking planet in front of him. "It certainly is. That's where the Nexus is?"

"That's where they should be," Dunn confirmed. "In theory at least. We're having a hard time contacting them to confirm position. Something is actively jamming long-range sensors."

At that, Ryder lost some of his relaxed demeanor yet didn't go to full alert. He most likely wasn't in the mood for things to go sour and hoped it would pass as nothing. He looked at Dunn inquisitively and asked, "Jamming? Can we identify the source?"

"Not exactly, but the eggheads have a hunch. One thing is for certain, dark energy readings went off the charts shortly after we entered the system. If you ask me, it can only be that."

"Can we reach the other arks?" Ryder pressed on.

Dunn shook her head. "Same story. Sorry to say it, but no comms means no comms. That dark energy anomaly has us by the throat." If she wasn't before, she now sounded determined to make the problem go away. Possibly to the point of walking out the airlock and punching the dark energy into submission.

Ryder maintained a level attitude and spoke quieter now, like someone thinking out loud. "That's the logical conclusion. What I want to know is how such a high concentration of dark energy could occur naturally."

After a few bets of silence, Shepard offered his two cents. "Unless it isn't natural."

This got the attention of both Dunn and Ryder. He considered that fact that he just set off a wave of paranoia. This fear was quickly proven as truth when the captain spoke next.

"An artificial construction? There would have to be advanced alien species living in this system already. If they developed a dark energy weapon…" She alternated looking between the two N7s, nonverbally communicating the implications.

"It's likely that were not the only ones inhabiting Heleus. If they're advanced enough to weaponize dark energy, we need to tread carefully."

Shepard was anything but ready to jump to the conclusion of already pissing off the native aliens. First off, there's no way anything could have predicted where the ark would exit FTL, so having a "dark energy trap" lying in wait was highly unlikely. Second, if someone was out to get them, there would probably be more fires and screaming. Now, however, all is quiet.

That doesn't mean it's nothing, of course.

That's all it takes to plant the niggling little seed of apprehension in the back of someone's mind. Shepard was definitely feeling the healthy suspicion that developed courtesy of years on the battlefield. If something was going to go down, it usually happened right on the cusp of victory. Let this be known: Shepard did not throw away a life of guaranteed comfort to come out here and trip at the finish line.

No longer content with sitting back, Shepard strapped on his metaphorical commander pants and spoke like he was back at the Normandy's CIC. "That's something we can worry about that later. Right now, we need to make it to the Nexus and make sure everyone is safe. Keep your eyes peeled for any suspicious activity."

"The commander is right. The Nexus should be our priority. Captain, keep on course until we can make visual contact, or the jamming subsides."

"Roger that. I'll be damned if anyone stranded on my watch." Dunn's eyes fixed on a young man frantically working one of the various interfaces. "Anything?" She shouted the command across the bridge.

The man must have known he was the target. He half looked over his shoulder and quickly focused back on his interface ordeal. "Still static, ma'am. No improvements."

Dunn expressed an irritated sigh and addressed her guests once more. "If you've got something productive to do, I'd go do it. I'll send word when we get hold of the Nexus."

Ryder walked down to the holographic projector in the center of the pit and waved Shepard over. When he got there, a schematic of the ark was projected, and a small cube was highlighted in it.

"I heard you're in need of some armor and weapons, so I pulled some strings and requisitioned some for you and your team. You can go by the armory and pick them up while we locate the Nexus." This revelation was pleasing. Then again, he could walk out of there with a peashooter and a piece of plastic taped to his chest. 'Civilian exploration mission' and all that. He would make a detour first however

"I wouldn't mind checking on my crew while I'm at it. Make sure they're ready."

"I suppose I should do the same." Ryder voiced in agreement. "Report to this docking bay when we link up with the Nexus and we'll head over."

Another cube highlighted itself on the ark schematic. "Sounds good," Shepard said, fairly certain he could visualize the path there.

"SAM? Download directions to the commander's omni-tool if you would."

The blue matrix replaced the ark schematic. "Certainly. Downloading directions now. Download complete. you may now retrieve directions from your omni tool at any time."

"Ma'am! The static is clearing! I'm receiving a communication from the Nexus!" The specialist, still engaged in a flurry of hand movements, yelled across the bridge.

A dozen heads looked up simultaneously and focused intently on the sudden outburst. The ark navigation program on Shepard's omni-tool insisted that he proceed out the door and to the right. Unfortunately for it, suddenly finding a lost space station was more important than reaching the desired location in less than fifteen minutes.

Everything was still for a moment before the captain asked the question. "What's the news, Holand?"

The man looked very troubled and couldn't seem to believe whatever he was hearing. "It's a…distress signal? No, that can't be right."

"What? I want to hear that message now, specialist!" Captain Dunn demanded.

' _Any Andromeda Initiative pers…this is Nex…trol, we are…by unknown….aggressive, repeat, aggressive and hostile. Please…Nexus will fall without…'_

"You're kidding me! Tell me you can trace that signal!"

The specialist, Holand, was now looking even more deeply troubled. It's as if the words 'I didn't sign up for this' where broadcasting above his head. "I've got something! It's rough though, not an exact position!"

"It's better than nothing! Ryder?"

"Coordinates received. Rally the security team and tell them to meet me here"

"Copy that. Hyperion will hold here."

"Shepard, let's move."

It's as if they were prepared for these exact circumstances would arise. As Ryder and himself took off at a jog, Shepard gained a little more respect for the Initiative. Initially, they had come off as naïve and overly optimistic, but given the execution so far, they probably had doubts all along. Captain Dunn wasn't known to him, he could tell she had years of experience, however. And Alec Ryder? Well, he is an N7. Oh yeah, and the AI that apparently turns people into super soldiers. This operation could very well be a wolf wrapped in sheep's clothing.

"Shepard? I wish it were under better circumstances, but this is the part where you take over."

"What do you mean?" Shepard asked, rather confused by the broad terms.

"Time to stop lounging around and take the commander's seat. We have troops, ex-Alliance, mercenaries that come clean. Use them." Ryder stated as if it was obvious.

"I'm supposed to haul an armada out there?"

"As far as I'm concerned, yes. We don't know if the attack was provoked and frankly it doesn't matter. It's stated clear and simple in the first contact protocol: Do not fire unless fired upon. We are definitely under fire if a distress signal was sent."

"We're not ready for this, Ryder. The Normandy, the colonists, all of them thrown directly into a battle with an unknown enemy?"

The older N7, being what he is, immediately got to work fixing the issue. He activated his omni-tool and input a couple commands. "Sykes? This is Ryder. I need you to double-time it on the Normandy. The commander wants to fly it out within the half hour." Shepard heard a confirmation from whoever was on the other end before the communication cut. "That should do it."

"No mention of a potential war?" Shepard inquired, wondering why the whole ark wouldn't go on alert.

"We don't need the entire ark in a panic. If I were you, I'd keep this operation under wraps until we wipe the attackers out or everything goes to hell."

"A little difficult to hide a bunch of soldiers gearing up for battle." It was a legitimate complaint, but it came off as more of an insult judging by Ryders disgruntled look.

"You're Commander Shepard. Muster your team and get them over to the Nexus. Make something up if you have to." He clearly wasn't it the mood to play advisor at this point. He was an N7 on a mission and didn't expect to hold another N7's hand.

"What about you?" Shepard changed topics since apparently, he could just 'I'm Commander Shepard' his way through everything.

"I'll gather the security team and follow the Normandy in a group of shuttles."

"Good. We'll link up and devise a plan to reclaim the station while en route to the Nexus. I'll try and contact the station from the Normandy and gather intel on the enemy."

"That's the commander I want to see. Now go, we have a station to save."

With that assertion, Ryder turned down one of the various hallways in the labyrinth of a ship, leaving Shepard to himself. He re-opened the ark navigation tool which directed him to the nearest tram. He set a hurried pace and quickly shifted over to his omni-tool's communication program. He selected Ashley's name and prayed that she was awake and active.

"Hey, Commander. I hope you don't need me for anything, cause I'm about as stiff as a frozen hanar right now." She sounded rather tired. Probably fresh out of cryo.

Shepard fought to overcome the adrenaline rush with the tried and true humor method. "How much would you hate me if I…maybe, told you to report to the Normandy. Right now?"

"You're a crappy commander," Ashley grumbled tiredly.

"I'm sorry, did I hear a 'sir' in there?"

"Siiiirrrr." Came the overly drawn out response.

"That's better. Now round everyone up and report to the Normandy. A nice walk should loosen you up a bit."

"Sure thing, Commander. I'll make up an excuse for the doc right away!" The fake enthusiasm was especially humorous.

He returned to the ark nav program and was delightfully close to his destination. Just one more turn and…there it is. Stepping inside, he moved to the onboard computer and started typing 'Normandy' into the search box having not remembered the exact bay it was located in. Thankfully, the ship was registered in the database and showed up allowing for a one button push to execute travel to the nearest tram station.

And now it was a waiting game.

' _Nexus probably under attack. Arks not responding. Outstanding.'_

Figures it all has to go South within minutes of seeing Andromeda. They couldn't just waltz in and start dropping down colonies left and right. In reality, that was an absurd expectation. Still, it would be nice if it actually happened.

Now it was time to be 'Commander Shepard', hero of the Milky Way, Spectre, N7, role model. Damned if it wasn't like slipping on an old pair of boots. Ratty, and torn up, but broken in an oh so comfy. Should you buy new ones? Probably. Do you really want to? Nah.

These aliens are about to find out what happens when you threaten the people of Commander Shepard. Just like the Collectors. Just like the Reapers.

And if they lay a finger on his crew, they'll regret the very day they were born.

' _And I still haven't eaten yet…'_

* * *

 **A/N: Apologies for the extended absence. Long story short: Lots of crap decided to happen at the same time. On the bright side, Shepard finally made it to Andromeda. Also, conflict!**

 **Can't say whether or not my upload schedule will get any more consistent for the time being. I'm not quite out of the woods yet. Little by little I shall craft each chapter.**


End file.
